F1 Insider Blames Lando Norris For Costly Mistake That Lost Him A Win

Saajan Jogia | 5 Hours Ago

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Lando Norris (4) of Team Great Britain drives during the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 presenter Martin Brundle has blamed Lando Norris for leaving the inside line wide open at Turn 1 of the opening lap during the United States Grand Prix, causing championship rival Max Verstappen to capitalize on the situation, followed by both Ferraris.

Norris left enough space for the Dutchman to overtake him before both cars ran wide and allowed Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to take advantage of the situation. The McLaren man's crucial error saw him drop to fourth position after the first corner, while Verstappen was caught between the two Ferrari SF-24s in second place.

Despite Norris starting from pole position, the incident not only cost him the lead in the race but also widened the gap to championship leader Verstappen by five additional points. Following the race weekend, Norris now trails Verstappen by 57 points. While Verstappen's sprint race victory contributed to his points tally, Norris' missed opportunity for a race win could have helped close that gap.

What added to Norris' challenge was a five-second penalty he attracted for overtaking Verstappen beyond the track limits. The British driver attempted an overtake on Lap 52 at Turn 12 by taking the outside line on the left-hander. However, Verstappen pushed Norris off the track, causing both cars to leave the asphalt. Although Norris managed to pass the Dutchman and initially crossed the finish line in third place, the subsequent penalty demoted him to fourth.

The FIA drew criticism from McLaren and several others for its inconsistent rulings, as many other drivers involved in similar incidents received no penalties. However, Brundle believes Norris was aware he had to defend the inside line into the first corner, as he did on Saturday during the sprint, but failed to protect his top spot in the Grand Prix. Brundle wrote in his Sky F1 column:

"Norris delivered a stunning lap for pole position in qualifying for the main Grand Prix at the same time as Verstappen lost a little time in Turn 19.

"At the start of the Grand Prix everyone got away in unison and Norris knew he had to defend the inside line into the first corner.

"It had worked well for him on this line the day before. Inexplicably he still left reasonable space on the inside and Verstappen wasted no time in filling it.

"They both inevitably ran quite wide on the exit, Norris now off the track. The race director and stewards take a more lenient view on the opening lap as the cars are bound to be in multiple close contact throughout, and the incident wasn't even raised for the stewards to debate."