Formula 1’s rules which allow drivers to defend their position by running off track are not correct, says Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver made the comment after he was penalised for overtaking Max Verstappen off the track towards the end of last weekend’s United States Grand Prix.Norris overtook Verstappen on the outside approaching turn 12 on lap 52, but Verstappen braked late for the corner and moved back ahead of Norris as he did. This meant Verstappen reached the apex before Norris, and therefore did not have to leave him room under F1’s rules, but was also unable to make the corner himself.
The stewards gave Norris a five-second penalty for overtaking Verstappen off the track. Several other drivers have indicated their dissatisfaction with decisions the stewards took last weekend and Norris also wants answers.
“We will ask questions, we’ve already asked certain questions,” he told Sky. “It’s not something that needs to be done publicly or anything, but we can just have conversations on why I got the penalty because I don’t believe it was correct.
“I think a majority of people don’t agree it was correct. But that’s life and sometimes it doesn’t go your way. But I think things just need to be clear for the future on what’s allowed and what’s not.”
Verstappen’s technique of braking too late for a corner to defend his position has drawn criticism from his rivals before. Norris explained why he believes it should not be allowed.
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“I think the fact of getting off your brakes to achieve just the ruling of being ahead at the apex, no matter how wide you run on the exit, is incorrect. I don’t think that’s how racing should be.
“But at the same time, Max races hard. That’s inevitable, it’s something I expect. I just don’t think I was in the wrong last weekend. We’re both on the limit and it’s hard to judge sometimes your braking by the perfect centimetre or metre even when you going the speeds that we do.”
However Norris said he was not calling for Verstappen to be penalised. “Not necessarily do I believe I was correct, let’s say, I just don’t believe any of us were necessarily in the wrong,” he said. “So it’s not that I shouldn’t have got a penalty and he should, I just don’t think any of us should have got a penalty.
“I tried to overtake, I’ve done it in a way that probably isn’t the best way to do it. But he also didn’t defend – or attack, whichever one you want to say it is – in a way that also applies by the rules. So we were both in the wrong and therefore I think that’s racing.”
Norris’ penalty dropped him to fourth place behind Verstappen and leaves him 57 points adrift in the championship with 147 available. He said the championship situation means Verstappen can afford to take far greater risks in their fights than he can.
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“It’s for the stewards to decide and they have a tough job on making these rules and adapting to every single one because every race and every point is different to look into. Sometimes it’s just hard to understand [and] you need to understand, I think, the driver’s mindset.
“Max has nothing to lose, I have a lot to lose, so he can afford to take much bigger risks than I can. And that’s just the unfortunate position that I’m in at the minute.
“But I enjoy the racing, I really enjoyed the battle that we had last weekend. But of course I need to make some tweaks on my side at the same time to make sure I come out on top.”
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PB
24th October 2024, 23:33
I agree with this 100%
As with the divebomb in Interlagos and many other cases, Max throws it at the apex (often egregiously misses the apex) and runs off track while impeding the driver on the outside but not attempting to take a racing line himself.
A defence like that should result in having to give up the position.
Mooa42
25th October 2024, 6:48
This is also a Kmag approach that also helped get him a few points on his licence early in the season, also helped his team score some points too, Miami, if I remember correctly.
BasCB (@bascb)
25th October 2024, 7:27
Yeah, the way they judge these situations really suffers from the “mechanic” and simplistic look at “who’s first at the apex” without the wider context of what is going on.
Jere (@jerejj)
25th October 2024, 7:34
Mooa42 More so in Jeddah, as Hulk would’ve realistically finished in the low points in the Miami sprint anyway, but more harm than benefits for the team in the long-term as a whole.
Captain_Slow
25th October 2024, 9:40
This is the ruling from Miami that was a 10 second penalty:
“The Stewards reviewed video evidence and determined that the car left the track at turn 11 and gained a lasting advantage. Car 20 and Car 44 were fighting for positions and this enabled Car 20 to stay ahead of Car 44.”
Jeffrey Powell
24th October 2024, 23:46
Maybe it is a problem having stewards that do not wish to be considered favouring their nationals . It seems absolutely obvious that both cars left the track because their drivers actions made this inevitable , both drivers gained an advantage from this the main advantage being that one could cause the other to receive a penalty.
Frank
25th October 2024, 1:08
Evidently Norris misjudged entirely all the maneouvre and then he is whining about the rules. It is quite evident that while Verstapen was immediately returning to the track, Norris just headed to do the overtake. He would have had more opportunities with a better car and tyres if he just stayed behind or even on par with Verstappen. If he had done that, maybe the penalty would have been handed to Verstapen. At least they would have noted the action for investigation or handed a track limits warning.
MacLeod (@macleod)
25th October 2024, 8:36
Lando made a mistake and he knew it when he said I should give back the position on the worldfeed. Lando thinks the rule should not used that way BUT the problem is that is the rule now if you want to change that ask the drivers sociality so they can change it.
Roy Beedrill
25th October 2024, 5:49
In the old days, if one driver went for the outside line in his attemt to pass, he would often brake even earlier than usual, and earlier than his defending rival who went for the inside, compromising his own exit out of the turn later. So the attacking driver would go across opponent’s trajectory and overtake him thanks to the better exit, karting-level basics.
But it seems today’s generation of drivers look at the racing like it’s “who-brakes-latest-is-the-toughest-guy” competition (sorry Dan). Seriously, Lando went for the outside line and then what? Tried to outbrake Max, failed to do so and now complains that Max braked too late. This is a videogame-level racecraft.
Currently, Norris seems to me like a guy, who suddenly has found himself in a championship-winning car, and is not quite ready for that.
Ludewig
25th October 2024, 10:30
Yes, the switchback. And some drivers indeed seem incapable of switching it up and only try late-breaking overtakes.
The issue with Lando is that he’s not a rookie and he also plays plenty of simracing. So if he still cannot do this, will he ever learn?
Mayrton
25th October 2024, 12:08
That is worrying indeed. I am afraid he is the category that only wins if his car has an advantage over the rest of the field. Pity, but luckily for McLaren Piastri still has growth potential.
Addme (@dontme)
25th October 2024, 12:42
Verstappen is not an idiot. He defended the inside to prevent the switchback. If Norris breaks early, so does Max. No chance of switch back. If Norris brakes late, so does Verstappen, reaching the apex first and forcing him of the track
Asanator (@asanator)
25th October 2024, 18:11
Wrong! Norris didn’t try to out brake Vestappen, he braked in a normal place but couldn’t take the corner within track limits as Vestappen released his brakes and positioned his car so that Norris couldn’t make the corner.
Andrie
26th October 2024, 0:43
I’m gonna attempt to explain why this doesn’t work on verstappen situation. He is very savvy in defending. He intentionally brake a bit earlier as well so Lando can not do a switchback. However, Lando realized this and release the brake with attempt to pass on the outside. Verstappen roll off the brakes even more to achieve the apex first thus meeting the rule black and white. However doing so mean he can’t complete the turn without going off. The intent of the rule should be clear that if the driver doing this intentionally without regard of making the corner, it should be illegal. Anyone can do this and will be impossible to pass. I must admit I’ve done this as well in a race but my race director was savvy and explained this to me. It is fair and I’ve never done it again.
Jere (@jerejj)
25th October 2024, 7:34
100% spot-on.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
25th October 2024, 9:39
Probably best to learn from it and let Max outbrake himself. He’ll come unstuck eventually. Failing that, take the Austria approach and don’t avoid contact. Max has relied on others jumping out of his way for years. He won’t win if he can’t finish the race from contact he instigated. Perhaps he’ll tone it down if there’s a genuine championship challenge from the off next year.
mystic one (@mysticus)
26th October 2024, 2:48
100% he knows if he crashes so does lando, he doesnt loose advantage! he has been allowed to do this whole his career. and he is still allowed! russel is carbon copy and he actually made the corner where as max missed! like brazil, he outbreak intentionally to send people off track or let them crash him! dunno why they enable him this much… arrogant and outright dangerous somehow entertaining to some
Ludewig
25th October 2024, 10:27
The counter to the inside/divebomb defend is the switchback. Lando would have a much better argument if he had tried that and Max had left the track to keep his speed, blocking an overtake that way.
baasbas
25th October 2024, 10:42
I’m sorry but what is he on about. Is he forgetting his own clumsy divebombing in Austria? (not talking about the crashing one). Should that also be ruled out???
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IfYTI2nzSUg
It’s quite clear what Norris should have done (with the power of hindsight and armchair, but still):
he should have given up that attempt to make the switch back. Now the switch back has a really low chance of succeeding there because it puts you on the outside of the right turn. But crucially, he had to make sure he actually made the corner. With Verstappens speed and trajectory, he went wide. Verstappen will be receiving the leaving the track and gaining an advantage penalty. Job done.
Worst case scenario, no penalty, but then he was still faster and would have had more attempts, surely landing another try. What McLaren/Norris should have never chosen to do was stay in front. That’s what they did an here we are.
At this point they actually do come across as whiners.
Yes I know, they’re constantly asked over and over yadayada
Ruud
25th October 2024, 14:09
Verstappen just tries to get around the corner as fast as possible, isn’t that what racing is all about?
Rules are there to be used.
How unfair would it be to let someone pass on the outside, at a much higher speed, without defending?
Defending and blocking is also done at the end of a straight. Lando was moving under braking!
Alex
25th October 2024, 17:02
So the rule is no good and must be changed. Agreed. So, by playing within the CURRENT rules, why should Max be penalised for???? For being smarter?? Is he (Norris) judging Max’s defense by the rules or by the (British) morality of the move??
Addme (@dontme)
25th October 2024, 17:04
I wish we could have the break data. I am very curious when and how they applied it in relation to previous laps.
Stevan Vasiljević
26th October 2024, 21:05
You may find an answer at this article from planetf1 website
verstappen-norris-telemetry-data-adds-controversy-fia-decision
PB
26th October 2024, 5:14
Lewis on Max/Norris:
under breaking you are ahead [on the outside], but then the car [on the inside] just comes of the brakes and doesn’t make the corner, and you have to go wide but then they say “you both went wide” but you but had no choice because you had to avoid the collision. I mean there definitely needs to be something done about it because it’s happening a lot now. You shouldn’t be able to come of the brakes and run more speed in and go off track and still hold your place.
(Amen)
Mayrton
26th October 2024, 11:22
Just imagine it would have been the other way around. Not a single article would have been written about it. You know I am right…