Formula 1 News: Norris' Austin penalty 'strange and bizarre'

(GMM) Toto Wolff is siding strongly with engine customer McLaren, who he collects $ millions from, over the penalty that prevented Lando Norris from narrowing the championship points gap on Sunday.

Norris and championship leader Max Verstappen were locked in a spectacular battle for the last podium place in Austin when the McLaren driver left the track limits at the Circuit of the Americas as he overtook Verstappen.

It cost Norris a five-second penalty.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 and Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes battle for position during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 20, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

“That’s the rule,” Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko insists. “We insisted on our rights, generally I prefer the attitude ‘Let them race’.

“But we have extended Max’s lead by another five points, so we are more than satisfied. I think this is a turning point.

“We were not as good in the race as in the sprint, but in Baku we took the first step with the car, in Singapore the second, and here another one.

“The Ferraris were incredibly fast, but for us, it was all about the fight with Norris. The world title is what we want, and we have taken a big step towards that here. Of course Max will want to win more races, but in the end only the title counts,” Marko added.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, however, blasted the penalty as “inappropriate” – and, fascinatingly, he was backed even more stridently by Mercedes’ Toto Wolff.

The Austrian suggests the FIA may be acting in a biased manner in favor of Red Bull.

Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff wants to keep that McLaren customer engine money coming

“In the sprint we saw some of these incidents that were exactly the same and there was no penalty,” said the Mercedes team boss. “I see this penalty as just completely strange and bizarre.

“I think we know why, but I can’t say it on TV. Just that sometimes there are correlations when it comes to interesting decisions like this.”

FIA explains its decision

FIA’s explanation to Norris’ 5-second penalty:

“Car 4 was overtaking Car 1 on the outside, but was not level with Car 1 at the apex.

Car 4 had lost the “right” to the corner. Accordingly, as Car 4 left the track and returned in front of Car 1, it is deemed to be a case of leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage.”

Yes, Verstappen went over the blue track limit line too, but you are allowed to do that up to three times in a race; therefore, he did not receive a penalty. Passing over the track limit line is another story – immediate penalty.