Revealed: The team radio messages in fierce Verstappen v Norris battle

So where do YOU stand on the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the closing laps of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas? The controversy has dominated the F1 news world over the last few days.

Did Norris deserve a five-second penalty for overtaking Verstappen off the track after trying his luck around the outside of the Turn 12 right-hander on Lap 52 of 56?

F1 team radio recap: Max Verstappen vs Lando Norris at United States GP

Should the McLaren pit wall – as Norris himself appeared to intimate over team radio on the cool-down lap – have anticipated a penalty and instructed their driver to drop back behind Verstappen, giving him enough time to pull off a cleaner pass over the remaining laps?

Or did Verstappen get the rub of the green, having escaped a penalty for taking to the same run-off area to retain his position in an opening-lap battle with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz?

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Andrea Stella, the McLaren team principal, was firm on the matter, accusing the FIA’s stewards of “interfering with a beautiful piece of motorsport” by slapping Norris with an “inappropriate” penalty.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, meanwhile, was unmoved, insisting it was “very much a black-and-white scenario” with Norris’s penalty a “slam dunk” after Verstappen himself was denied a podium by a five-second penalty – also earned for overtaking another driver, in that case Kimi Raikkonen, off the track – at the same venue in 2017.

So was the right outcome reached? Or are McLaren and Norris right to feel aggrieved?

Let’s remind ourselves of how the drama played out over team radio between Verstappen and Norris and their respective race engineers Gianpiero Lambiase and Will Joseph…

Lap 52: Norris passes Verstappen for third after taking to the run-off area to complete the move

Verstappen: “Overtook me outside the track.”

…

Norris: “I think I was ahead at the apex, let me know if you think otherwise.

Joseph: “We think you were ahead at apex.”

Lap 53: Norris cuts aggressively in front of Verstappen on the approach to Turn 1 to stay ahead

Verstappen: “He needs to give it back.”

Lambiase: “We are on it, Max. We know. And we’ve also seen the moving under braking at [Turn ] 1.”

Lap 54: Norris holds a 1.7-second lead over Verstappen

Lambiase: “The stewards are looking at it, Max.”

…

Joseph: “So our opinion is: you were ahead at apex, both cars went off track.”

Norris: “Yeah, he also went off. So it was clear.”

Lap 55: Norris runs wide at the last corner, triggering a lap deletion for both his current lap and the next one, causing confusion at Red Bull

Lambiase: “Also Max, Lando has exceeded his track limits. Expecting a penalty for that alone, so flat out.”

Lap 56: McLaren confirm Norris has breached track limits only three times, with one more triggering a penalty

Joseph: “So, Lando, we’ve had our third strike, track limits, which I know you’ll know. So no more track limits. No more.”

Chequered flag: Norris is handed a five-second penalty for running off track and gaining an advantage, dropping him from third to fourth

Norris: “Well, I guess I got a five-second penalty?”

Joseph: “Yeah, they gave you five seconds just at the end there for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Not sure why.”

Norris: “Oh yeah, well then I should’ve just gone back behind him, shouldn’t I?”

…

Horner: “Well done, mate, you drove hard for that. You drove hard for that. We weren’t as competitive as we should have been in the second stint, but you deserve that podium today.”

Verstappen: “Argh! My God! That was a hard race. Yeah. I tried everything. With the defending, at least that was fun. Just a bit weird that you can overtake outside the track.”

Lambiase: “Well, you can’t. And the FIA have put that right, so there you go.”

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