First corner pain: Norris rues Verstappen’s overtake

Norris admits regret Should've blocked Verstappen early

Lando Norris reflected on his first-corner struggle, admitting he should have blocked Max Verstappen during the United States Grand Prix.

Lando Norris is frustrated that maneuvers like Max Verstappen’s at the first corner of the United States Grand Prix aren’t subject to the same rules as those applied later in the race. However, the McLaren F1 driver admits he should have fully blocked his rival.

“I think both times, Max went off the track, showing a lot of commitment to keep me behind,” Norris said. “The issue with Max is that you have to fully commit.”

“People don’t understand these things. With Max, you can’t just be half-hearted in your commitment. At Turn 1, it’s a bit harder to say whether I didn’t commit enough.”

“But the fact that he carried so much speed that he went off the track… you can’t dive inside someone, go off track, and then keep the position during the race. Yet for some reason, that’s perfectly acceptable on lap one, at Turn 1. It’s tough. It hurts.”

The Brit holds himself responsible for leaving Verstappen room: “If I had defended better in the first corner and not driven like an idiot, I should have led after Turn 1, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.”

Norris also explained why it’s hard to fight later in the race: “I think Max drove really well. What we do is very difficult. It’s tough when you’re side by side, completely on the edge of the track, to guess where your braking point is.”

“You’re going faster than before because you’ve used the battery. The tires are older, there are different bumps, a lot of dirt. We’re fighting, and we’re fighting hard. So I respect the battle we had. It was a good fight, it was enjoyable. I think it was respectful.”

“I think in Turn 1, I didn’t do what I should have, but I feel what happened at the end of the race was more on my side. But otherwise, it was a good battle, and I enjoyed it. We didn’t come out on top because I didn’t do a good enough job.”

Stewards are “just guessing” the situation

Norris, however, criticized how the stewards ruled on his infraction without taking the time for a hearing after the race: “I think, once again, there’s inconsistency, but it’s difficult. For me, it’s just a rushed decision.”

“They don’t listen to or understand our arguments, which they should do after the race. They just want to make a decision in the moment so it doesn’t affect the points, but it’s a rushed decision, and they don’t hear my side, my team’s side, or Max’s side.”

“I don’t think it’s the right approach, but today it was a penalty, and there’s not much I can do except accept it. I tried, we both tried, it was a good battle. I don’t think you can appeal this kind of penalty, which is again, stupid.”

“They’re just guessing, and I don’t think that’s how stewards should work. But it’s a tough job for them, so I’m not complaining about them. I think it’s more that they don’t see everything or understand everything as well as we do when we’re in the car. That’s all.”