Max Verstappen responded firmly to criticisms of his driving style after a contentious finish to the US Grand Prix. The Red Bull racer addressed McLaren’s complaints head-on during what is becoming an increasingly charged rivalry between the two teams, as Verstappen competes with McLaren’s Lando Norris for the championship title.
During the race in Austin, Charles Leclerc took a dominant victory for Ferrari, but McLaren was left frustrated when Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen for third place. In the process, Verstappen pushed him wide, leading to Norris receiving a five-second penalty from the stewards. Although Norris initially claimed the position on the track, he ultimately dropped back to fourth due to the penalty, falling further behind Verstappen, who now leads him by 57 points with just five races remaining.
Norris criticized the stewards for what he perceived as a rushed decision, while McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella expressed strong discontent, arguing that intervention was unnecessary since both drivers had gone off track.
Verstappen, however, dismissed these accusations as baseless and rooted in the heat of battle for the championship. “They’ve been complaining a lot lately,” he remarked. “But the rules are clear: if you’re outside the white line, you can’t pass. I’ve been penalized for that in the past as well.”
Prior to the race weekend, McLaren had raised concerns about a device on the Red Bull that could potentially modify the car’s front bib during parc fermé conditions—a point Verstappen referenced when discussing McLaren’s grievances. This back-and-forth isn’t isolated; previously, Red Bull had questioned McLaren’s possible use of a flexing rear wing following the Baku Grand Prix.
In the final ten laps of the race, Norris and Verstappen battled fiercely. The incident escalated at turn 12 when Norris tried to pass Verstappen, who was marginally ahead at the apex—a critical factor according to the regulations. McLaren contended that Verstappen intentionally braked late to push Norris off the track, disrupting a legal overtaking maneuver.
Stella elaborated on McLaren’s perspective, claiming they reviewed the incident multiple times and believed Verstappen was strategically exploiting the regulations. “The defending car goes straight at the apex,” he commented. “Both cars end up off track, and both are gaining an advantage. If there was an advantage gained, it was at least neutral.”
Norris described the penalty that cost him five crucial points as “a momentum killer,” and he predicted that discussions surrounding the incident and the interpretation of the rules would continue as the teams head to Mexico for the next race.
Earlier in the race, Mercedes’ George Russell also incurred a penalty at the same corner for pushing Valtteri Bottas wide during an overtaking attempt. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called the ruling a “joke.” Yuki Tsunoda faced similar punishment for pushing Alex Albon wide, yet Verstappen’s earlier maneuver against Norris at turn one went unpunished. “He didn’t get a penalty, and Lando ended up getting one for being forced off track and attempting to overtake on the outside,” Wolff remarked. “It seems there’s some biased decision-making at play.”
