The title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris took a controversial turn at the United States Grand Prix, where Norris was penalized for an off-track pass on Verstappen for third place.
The race, held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, was dominated by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who seized the lead on the first lap after both Norris and Verstappen went wide at the first corner.
Leclerc delivered a commanding performance, leading his teammate Carlos Sainz to a Ferrari one-two finish after taking the top spot. However, the real drama unfolded behind him.
Norris initially finished third, overtaking Verstappen around the outside of Turn 12 with just four laps remaining. However, he ran off the track during the maneuver and chose not to yield the position back to Verstappen. Verstappen contested the move, and the race stewards sided with him, issuing Norris a five-second penalty. This penalty dropped Norris to fourth place, as he was only 4.1 seconds ahead of Verstappen at the finish.
The penalty allowed Verstappen to extend his lead in the drivers’ championship to 57 points, with five races remaining and 146 points still up for grabs.
The race saw incidents between the title contenders at both the beginning and the end. At the start, pole-sitter Norris appeared to cover the inside line into the first corner, but Verstappen attempted to pass, forcing both cars off the track. Norris argued that Verstappen had forced him wide and should give up the position, but the stewards did not investigate the incident.
Their duel allowed Leclerc to slip past and take the lead, and once he gained control, he never looked back. Leclerc quickly built a 10-second lead by the time Verstappen made his first pit stop on lap 25. Ferrari reacted by pitting Leclerc a lap later, ensuring he maintained control of the race through to the finish.
Carlos Sainz, who had briefly challenged Verstappen in the early laps, ran in third during the first stint. Ferrari then employed the ‘undercut’ strategy, pitting Sainz before Red Bull to secure their one-two finish.
Ultimately, while Ferrari celebrated a dominant performance, the tension between Verstappen and Norris stole the spotlight, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the season.
Source: BBC Sports
