AUSTIN – Lando Norris avoided a penalty from race officials after being investigated for “erratic driving” during the final lap of the F1 United States Grand Prix sprint race.
But after a tough end on Friday, it might be the best news of the day for McLaren, who endured a tough start to Saturday.
Norris, who started Saturday's F1 sprint race in fourth place, made an incredible move at the start to pass Charles Leclerc and George Russell and move into second behind Max Verstappen.
But despite his best efforts to involve his Drivers' Championship rivals, Norris ultimately saw Verstappen's Red Bull fade into the distance. To make matters worse, the rearview mirror was filled with Ferrari red as Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. came within striking distance.
As the final lap began, Norris locked up in Turn 1 and lost the position to Sainz. He ended up defending Leclerc throughout the lap, and his actions at Turn 15 also caught the attention of race officials as well as the Scuderia. Norris crossed the line in third place, but had to wait for confirmation of the results after an investigation.
However, the stewards removed Norris immediately after the race. “There was no significant change of direction while braking and the movement in Turn 15 was a legitimate defensive move by the driver of car No. 4. In Turn 1, car No. 4 locked up and went wide while braking and was in position. Therefore, the stewards consider that there was no erratic driving and no further action will be taken. read the decision.
At the FIA press conference, Norris admitted that by the time the final lap came around, Sainz was likely to catch him no matter what he did.
“Well, no matter what I was doing, I think Carlos would pass,” Norris began. “By then my tires are completely finished.
“So, yeah, there's one thing I can't defend and give up inside. And if he makes me like that or I defend, it just puts too much stress on the tires. .
“You have to be very careful about everything, and it's easy to push yourself over the edge. So you have to pay the price.”
Norris outlined that the past from Sainz into Turn 1 was actually beneficial at that stage of the race. Because it gave Norris the chance to catch the Ferrari later in the lap with a DRS advantage.
“But actually, I almost think the fact that he took me there was potentially a better thing because I had a good DRS with him and with Charles Because we were able to get a little bit of a gap,” Norris explained. “So, yeah, it's actually not necessarily a bad thing that he caught me early in the lap, actually.”
Still, Norris was unable to capitalize on his advantage and ended up trying to protect Leclerc in the latter half of the lap.
On the other side of the garage, it was a tough day for Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver started from last place after yesterday's shocking SQ1 exit, but was handed a five-second penalty for an incident with Pierre Gasly that race stewards judged had forced Piastri off the track. He finished in 10th place.
Saturday's result means Red Bull moved two points closer to McLaren in the race for the constructors' championship, while Verstappen moves a further two points clear in the battle with Norris for the drivers' championship.
But the big points will be distributed tomorrow.
