Red Bull launch F1 stewards' defence after blunt McLaren criticism

Christian Horner sees no issue with the speed in which the United States Grand Prix stewards reached a verdict on the incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

The Red Bull team principal argued that F1 wants the "right people on the podium" at the end of the race, which was no doubt a factor in the swiftness of the decision reached in the closing stages at the Circuit of the Americas.

On lap 52 of 56, the McLaren driver overtook the Dutchman around the outside of Turn 12. However, both drivers ventured off track.

McLaren and Norris opted not the give the position back, so with the stewards deeming the pass illegal, a five-second time penalty was handed down.

Whilst the FIA has been criticised in the past for investigations running long past the end of the race, the investigation at COTA was short, with the final decision prior to the conclusion of the grand prix.

Come the chequered flag, that call moved the 24-year-old from third to fourth, with Verstappen elevated to a podium finish.

It was an intervention by the stewards that has resulted in a six-point swing between the two title protagonists. Without the penalty, Norris would have trimmed the deficit to 51 points, but with five rounds remaining, Verstappen leads by 57.

However, given the championship permutations, it was put to Christian Horner that perhaps the decision should have been made after the race, something McLaren team principal Andrea Stella suggested should have been done.

The 50-year-old disagreed, replying to media including RacingNews365: "No, I think it was a slam dunk.

"And the problem [of delaying a decision] is we then have the arguments of you want the right people on the podium.

"It's happened so many times [at that corner] that I actually think the stewards dealt with it pretty rapidly and decently today."

Do you think Lando Norris deserved his US GP penalty? Let us know by voting below in the latest poll by RacingNews365.