McLaren call out F1 stewards after ‘wrong’ decision

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has criticised the United States Grand Prix stewards for the haste in which they came to a decision over the late-race incident between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

Questioning the "urgency" to "interfere" in a battle with potential championship ramifications, the 53-year-old feels the stewards should receive the criticism "constructively" and "positively".

On lap 52 of 56, Norris overtook Verstappen off track, around the outside of Turn 12. However, both drivers breached track limits.

Whilst Norris crossed the line first, a five-second time penalty had already been decreed by the stewards, who deemed the overtake illegal because Norris was not ahead at the apex of the corner.

With the 24-year-old opting to hand the place back to the Dutchman, he was moved behind the Red Bull at the end of the race.

What makes the decision contentious, is that arguably Verstappen was only ahead at the apex because he was unable to make the corner himself - something that ultimately pushed Norris wide, too.

After the race, Stella voiced his surprise at the swiftness of the verdict, which came before the end of the race.

"The interpretation of this situation between McLaren and the stewards is polar opposite," the Italian told media including RacingNews365.

"I am surprised that the stewards didn't even feel the need to discuss with the drivers after the race. 

"It is an uncertain situation. Get the opinion of the drivers, get the time to assess the situation with the level of detail that is required when the situation is not so clear.

"Where is the urgency to interfere with the result of a race with a championship cause, just because you have to make the decision in 60 seconds?

"It's a question mark that I think the stewards should take constructively, positively. Is it really needed to make a decision so quickly, and in our opinion, so wrongly?"

McLaren thought Verstappen would be penalised

It was a decision that means the gap between Norris and Verstappen in the drivers' championship is 57 points, not 51.

In the immediate aftermath of the overtake, both drivers radioed into their respective teams to defend their part in the incident.

A debate ensued at McLaren as to whether Norris needed to hand the position back. However, the Woking squad felt the MCL38 was ahead at the apex.

Whilst that was quickly proven to not be the case, Stella felt that detail was besides the overall point.

"I think the 'ahead at the apex' in relation to the interpretation of the overtaking manoeuvre is not the relevant bit," he stated.

"The defending car [Verstappen] goes just straight at the apex. We checked the video multiple times. It's just going straight. It's going off track, as much as Lando is doing, giving no chance for Lando to complete the manoeuvre.

"If I were a journalist, I would have done a bit of statistics: how many times has Max used this way for defending, [where] both cars [end up going] off track.

"I think both cars are gaining an advantage, if there's an advantage gained. So for us, this manoeuvre was at the least neutral."

Stella went a step further, too, revealing that in the midst of the incident, he believed it would be Verstappen deemed at fault.

"When I saw it was under investigation, I was pretty sure that was because Max pushed Lando off the track," he added.

"In fact, we immediately told Oscar [Piastri], 'Make sure you close [to within] five seconds of Max because there could be a position at stake'."

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