Lando Norris was handed a five-second penalty on the final lap of the US Grand Prix which cost the McLaren driver a podium in Austin.
Norris, who started on pole position, dropped down to fourth after the start where F1 title rival Max Verstappen blocked his path to turn one and eventual race winner Charles Leclerc took the lead.
McLaren driver Norris dropped down to fourth but towards the end of the race had superior pace to Verstappen ahead of him in third.
Yet Verstappen defended superbly on numerous occasions in a thrilling lap-by-lap battle between the pair, before the controversial moment in lap 53.
Norris, with DRS going down into turn 12, seemed to squeeze ahead of Verstappen before both drivers went off the track – beyond the racing white line – and Norris took third place from Verstappen.
Verstappen was fuming, insisting over team radio Norris needed to give the position back or be penalised, while McLaren informed Norris that they believe he was “ahead at the apex” and so they stayed put.
However, with one lap left, the FIA stewards had their say and gave Norris a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Norris crossed the line 4.1 seconds ahead of Verstappen, so the Dutchman crept up to third place to finish on the podium and extend his lead in the drivers’ championship to 57 points with five rounds remaining.
Red Bull, incorrectly, believed that Norris was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits too many times – but the British driver actually had one life remaining.
Norris said after the race: “I tried, he also went off the track, if he goes off the track he goes in too hard [at turn one at the start] and gains an advantage. But I don’t make the rules.
“Max went for a tight gap. From inside the car, it’s easier and harder to say at times, Max committed quite a bit. I don’t know, I need to look back. He’s overtaken by going off track [at the start]
“He defends off track, overtakes off track. Max raced well, we had a good race – the rules are the rules.
“We ended up where we expected to be, I’d have liked third – we still didn’t have the pace of the Ferraris. That’s life. We need a good chunk compared to the Ferrari.”
Verstappen, straight after the race, stated: “It was a tough battle, to be on the podium is a good result. I have my opinion but I don’t need to say it here, I’ll let the stewards do their thing.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, however, insisted the stewards were “inappropriate” for getting involved at all.
“The way the stewards interfered with a beautiful piece of motorsport was inappropriate,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“It cost us a podium, we stayed patient and were pushed off in first corner. This kind of decision from the stewards, it can’t be appealed, we move on to the next race.
“We double-checked that both cars went off track, so there was no doubt that the manoeuvre was correct.”
It means Verstappen – along with his sprint race win on Saturday – extends his lead from 52 to 57 points in the championship to Norris ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix next Sunday.
