FIA stewards accused of 'guessing' as Verstappen-Norris fallout continues

Lando Norris has accused the FIA stewards who oversaw the United States Grand Prix of "guessing" and making "a rushed decision" following his controversial penalty late in the race.

Norris' overtake off track on Max Verstappen has brought the Driving Standards Guidelines that dictate such incidents into sharp focus.

The McLaren driver took the chequered flag in third position but had five seconds added to his elapsed race time for his illegal move on Red Bull's Verstappen at Turn 12 on lap 52.

The Guidelines state that because Norris was not level with Verstappen at the apex of the sharp left-hander, he gave up his 'right' to the corner.

The contentious part, however, is the fact Verstappen only had the apex due to his late braking in defending against Norris which meant he was unable to take the corner, forcing both the Briton and himself off track.

Norris feels this was an incident where the FIA stewards should have heard from all parties concerned rather than making a rapid call before the chequered flag fell.

Referencing his incident with Verstappen in Austria when the Dutchman went unpunished for pushing Norris off the track, the 26-year-old said: "They [the stewards] seem to change because I feel like it's quite inconsistent from say, what happened in Austria where Max went off the track, gained an advantage, but didn't get a penalty.

"It's tough. For me. It's just a rushed decision. They don't hear or understand our points, my point, my team's point, or Max's point, which I don't think is maybe the correct thing, and which they should do after the race,

"This was a penalty, and there's not a lot I can do other than accept it."

Norris - Not how stewarding should be done

Norris maintains it was "a great battle" with Verstappen, one that was "tough" but which he "really enjoyed" as the three-time F1 champion defended superbly ahead of the controversy that then unfolded.

Norris did state, though, it was "silly" that McLaren could not appeal, unlike many other punishments that are open to such a possibility.

Referring back to the stewards, he said: "They're just guessing. I don't think that's how stewarding should be done.

"It's a difficult job for them to do, so I'm not complaining against them. It's more the fact they don't see everything, understand everything as well as we do when we're inside the car."