Why McLaren’s focus on Verstappen’s driving failed to overturn Norris’ penalty · RaceFans

McLaren attempted to overturn the penalty Lando Norris received in the United States Grand Prix by focusing attention on the actions of his rival in the incident between the pair on lap 52, which sent both of them off the track.

Norris attempted to overtake Max Verstappen on the straight approaching turn 12. He moved ahead on the outside approaching the corner but Verstappen braked deep, drew level with the McLaren, and ran wide taking Norris with him.

Although Norris was ahead of Verstappen as they approached the corner, the Red Bull driver’s late braking allowed him to prevent the McLaren from reaching the apex before him. This was crucial, as if Norris had done so, Verstappen would have been required to leave him space on the outside.

Norris did not get there first, so Verstappen did not have to leave him space. Crucially, the rules did not require Verstappen to stay within the track confines in doing this. Norris, as well as several of their rivals, took the view that Verstappen was never going to make the corner because he braked so late.

During the hearing, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella took time to explain why they had requested a review after he made remarks to some in the media downplaying their chances of doing so. The stewards noted they: “Advised Mr Stella that they took no account of those comments and that this matter would be determined on the merits of the current submission.”

McLaren tried to persuade the stewards that Norris should not be considered the driver who was overtaking. They argued that because Norris got ahead of Verstappen on the straight, the Red Bull driver should be regarded as the driver who was passing. Under F1’s racing rules, that would oblige Verstappen to remain within the track limits which he failed to do.

The stewards did not reject this argument, nor did they accept it: They did not consider it. That is potentially significant for the wider debate around this kind of defensive move, but it spelled defeat for McLaren in their effort to secure a review of Norris’ penalty.

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In order to secure a review of the decision, McLaren had to persuade the stewards they had a compelling new piece of evidence. The only element they presented was the stewards’ original decision. They argued it incorrectly identified Norris as the overtaking driver.

The stewards dismissed their claim on the grounds that the error itself cannot be considered the “new element” required to trigger a review. They required some other new evidence to justify accepting the existence of an error.

Most teams who have attempted to force a review of a racing incident have fallen at this hurdle. The evidence they have conjured up to support their cases range from the risible (Ferrari presenting an analysis of an incident by a television pundit in 2019) to the creative (Red Bull had their test driver simulate Lewis Hamilton’s racing line at a test in 2021). Both failed.

Even when teams have been able to brandish indisputably ‘new’ evidence, such as the video footage Mercedes seized on following a similar incident between Verstappen and Hamilton in 2021, they haven’t necessarily been successful. That no doubt explains why McLaren did not turn up with new video or GPS data showing how far Norris moved ahead of Verstappen – the stewards had access to ample evidence to prove that point last Sunday.

It’s not hard to see why McLaren believed they could overturn Norris penalty or – just as good from their point of view – trigger an equal penalty for Verstappen by persuading the stewards the Red Bull driver had been the one doing the overtaking. It would have forced them to address the issue of whether Verstappen’s ‘divebomb defence’ move should be allowed, a tactic several other drivers clearly feel strongly about.

But as has been the case before, the conclusion McLaren and other teams should draw from this case is that Right of Review hearings are extremely unlikely to lead the stewards to reconsider any incidents which occur during races, for the simple fact races are so extensively covered these days there is seldom anything new to reveal about these incidents.

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In a small victory for McLaren, the stewards pointed out to the FIA that it is very difficult for teams to request reviews of decisions which go against them during races. And if they were hoping to put Verstappen’s defensive moves under scrutiny, they have certainly achieved that.

But as things stand, there is nothing to prevent Verstappen or any other driver in F1 – or potentially other categories – from preventing a rival passing them on the outside by braking too late for the corner and forcing them off. Whether the FIA chooses to revise that in future could be significant for the final races of this year’s championship.