Lando Norris is running out of time to catch Max Verstappen in the race for the Formula 1 world championship.
Norris and his McLaren team left Texas for Mexico having lost ground to Verstappen after a disappointing weekend for the British team at the United States Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver won the sprint race and then moved up to third in Sunday’s race after Norris was given a penalty for going out of track limits to overtake the Dutchman in the closing stages of the race.
This penalty will fuel discussions in garages and paddocks until next season. And it will not help Norris in the short term.
Verstappen is chasing a fourth consecutive world championship. Norris is trying to win his first, and Texas reminded him how difficult, if not impossible, it is to take the title from the Red Bull driver.
Norris had the fastest car at the end of Sunday’s race, but found himself stuck behind a pugnacious Verstappen, who refused to give way as the two drivers fought for every inch of track.
When Norris finally attempted a move for third place, about four laps from the checkered flag, track marshals determined he had left the limits of the track to gain a position in the standings. He was given a five-second penalty.
Norris crossed the finish line in third position. Officially, he finished fourth and Verstappen climbed onto the third step of the podium.
No mercy
This penalty, as well as his duel with Verstappen, visibly irritated the Briton.
“He defends his position coming off the track, he passes coming off the track. But I’m not going to complain about that. Max drove well and he defended well, and we put on a good show. But the rules are the same for everyone,” Norris said.
Verstappen’s victory in Saturday’s sprint race may seem encouraging for Red Bull. Except that the Austrian team has never been able to keep up with Ferrari in a classic race, and Norris managed to overtake Verstappen.
Despite all this, Red Bull has tightened its grip on the world championship. And Verstappen showed no mercy to McLaren on Sunday after the British team complained it had been unfairly ejected from the podium.
“They have been complaining a lot for a while,” Verstappen said. “The fight with Lando towards the end of the race was cool, it was very intense and we had a lot of fun. You are not allowed to overtake an opponent outside the white line, and I have already lost a podium here after overtaking outside the limits of the circuit.”
And he will savor every result that allows him to consolidate his lead at the top of the general classification.
“We are heading in the right direction. But it is not over yet,” Verstappen summed up. “Actually, the most important thing is that we managed to extend the gap at the front.”
Leave a Reply