Horner: Norris US GP penalty was “a slam dunk”

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says that the decision to hand a penalty to Lando Norris in Austin was “a slum dunk” and “black and white.”

The McLaren driver was docked five seconds for passing Max Verstappen off-track when they were fighting for third place in the closing laps of the race.

The penalty ensured that the positions were reversed after the chequered flag, with Norris falling back to fourth.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella admitted that his team thought Verstappen would be penalised for forcing Norris wide, but Horner is adamant that the FIA view was the correct one.

“First of all, the racing between the two of them was competitive and great to watch,” he said. “Obviously all the drivers know acutely what the rules are. They discuss these issues and particular corners in the briefings, with the various stewards and driver stewards and race director.

“The pass was made off track. We’ve been on the receiving end of that, in fact here I think, against Kimi [Raikkonen] in 2018. So for us, it was crystal clear that the pass had been made off the track.

“So he should have given the place back. He chose not to. So therefore there was a penalty. So for us, it was a very much a black and white scenario.”

Horner countered the suggestion that the decision should have been made after the race: “I think it was a slam dunk. And the problem is, again, we then have the arguments of you want the right people on the podium. It’s happened so many times that I actually think the stewards dealt with it pretty rapidly and decently today.”

Horner made it clear that he was surprised that Norris didn’t give the place back given that he had the potential to re-pass Verstappen.

“I think it’s very difficult for the stewards, and every incident is different,” he said. “So you have to look at every incident individually. When you’re on the receiving end of it, it’s not nice.

“As I say, we’ve been on the receiving end of it numerous times, not just at this track, but at other tracks. They all know what’s at stake.

“What I perhaps didn’t understand was it was clear there was going to be a penalty, or it looked pretty clear there was going to be a penalty with the car advantage and tyre advantage that McLaren had at that point of the race.

“It looked like he went to give the place back up at Turn 1, but there was some confusion there.

“If he’d have given the place back immediately, he would have probably, he probably would have had enough pace to make the pass.”

Regarding the lack of a penalty for Verstappen forcing Norris wide at the first corner he said: “Again, we discussed these many, many times. It goes back to Niki Lauda making an impassioned plea to Charlie Whiting of ‘just let them race.’

“And it was agreed then, for the first lap it used to be, now it’s very much the first corner, let them race. And that was a classic case of that. And they all know that.”