Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed victory at the 2024 United States Grand Prix, but the real drama unfolded behind him as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) battled for the final podium spot. Despite finishing fourth on track, Verstappen was awarded third place after Norris dropped to fourth due to a controversial five-second penalty.
On lap 52, Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen, but the Dutchman forced him off the track, leaving him with nowhere to go. The stewards handed Norris the penalty, a decision that sparked skepticism.
“I should’ve just got back behind him then,” said Norris on the radio after receiving the punishment. He further gave his thoughts on the incident when talking with Sky Sports, post-race: “It’s impossible to know. They obviously can’t make their minds up for a few laps, so it’s obviously not an easy decision, otherwise it would have come a bit sooner.”
“I tried. He also went off the track. So, if he goes off the track, clearly he’s gone way too hard and also gained an advantage by doing what he did. But I don’t make the rules, so…,” he added.
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 (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Verstappen admitted after the race that it was “quite a difficult race. I never really had the pace to attack.” When asked about the incident, he said: “I have my opinion but I don’t need to say it here. I let the stewards do their thing.”
US GP 2024: Stella also weighs in on the penalty
Meanwhile, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also told Sky Sports that he believes that the way “the stewards interfered with a beautiful piece of motorsport was inappropriate because both cars went off track, so both cars gained an advantage.”
“It’s a shame because it cost us a podium and a race where we stayed patient after we were pushed off on the first lap and first corner. We accepted it,” he added. “Having said that, very clearly our position, this kind of decision cannot be appealed. This chapter is now closed and we move onto the next race.”
The situation also infuriated fans on social media as Mercedes’ George Russell also received a five-second penalty for forcing Bottas off the track to surpass him. “Did Verstappen get a penalty for that Turn 1?,” he asked on the radio.
“No, he didn’t get a penalty and at the end Lando got a penalty for being fast off and overtaking on the outside. I guess it’s a bit biased decision making but not surprising,” Toto Wolf responded.
F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings after United States Grand Prix
Norris, with 297, is now 57 points behind Verstappen, who is still atop with 354 points. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc is third with 275 points. Here are the complete standings after the US GP:
- 1 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 354pts
- 2 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 297
- 3 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 275
- 4 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 247
- 5 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 215
- 6 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 177
- 7 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 167
- 8 Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 150
- 9 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 62
- 10 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 29
- 11 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 24
- 12 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 22
- 13 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 12
- 14 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) RB 12
- 15 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 8
- 16 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 8
- 17 Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 7
- 18 Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 5
- 19 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 5
- 20 Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 2
- 21 Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Sauber 0
- 22 Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams
- 23 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Sauber 0
