McLaren ‘complain about a lot lately’ as Verstappen addresses Norris US GP fireworks

Max Verstappen has no sympathy for McLaren’s point of view over his late-race clash with Lando Norris in Austin, after all, they “complain about a lot lately”.

McLaren were unhappy with Verstappen’s defending at the United States Grand Prix as he twice forced Norris off the track when the Briton attacked him for position.

McLaren won’t get any sympathy from Max Verstappen

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

The first incident was at Turn 1 on the opening lap when Verstappen dived up the inside and forced the McLaren off the track; Charles Leclerc pounced to take the lead.

“He clearly pushed me off,” Norris complained over the radio. “He had no intention to make the corner. He himself went off the track.”

Norris and Verstappen were back at it again late in the race as they raced for third place having also lost out to the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Norris attempted to pass Verstappen around the outside of Turn 12 only for the Dutchman to brake late with both drivers out of the track. The McLaren driver kept his foot down in the run-off area and rejoined the race ahead of Verstappen.

“He needs to give it back,” Verstappen said, but Norris felt it was “clear he was also off the track”

The Briton received a five-second penalty for ‘leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage’ and, taking the chequered flag 4.1s ahead of Verstappen, their positions were reserved.

Norris complained that Verstappen “defends by going off track, he overtakes by going off track”, adamant that if “he goes off the track, clearly he’s gone in way too hard and also gained an advantage by doing what he did”.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was more vehement in his criticism, blasting the stewards’ as their interference in a “beautiful piece of motorsport was inappropriate, because both cars went off track, so both cars gained an advantage”.

Verstappen, who increased his advantage in the Drivers’ standings for the first time in five races, had no sympathy for McLaren’s argument.

“No, I don’t,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com during the post-race press conference. “I mean, they complain about a lot lately anyway.”

Verstappen’s comment refers to McLaren chief Zak Brown being one of the more vocal people in the paddock questioning Red Bull’s bib trick.

More on the stewards’ decisions at the United States GP

?Explained: Why Max Verstappen wasn’t penalised in dramatic Lando Norris battle

?Toto Wolff hints at FIA steward ‘correlations’ after ‘bizarre’ US Grand Prix penalties

Max Verstappen insists the rules are ‘very clear’

That McLaren told Norris not to give the position back raised some eyebrows as the Briton could have potentially attacked Verstappen in the final few laps had he done so.

Instead, he fell from third to fourth by 0.9s.

“It’s very clear in the rules,” Verstappen said. “Outside the white line, you cannot pass. I’ve been done for it as well in the past.

“I think it’s quite clear: you can’t overtake outside of the white line. I mean, I got done for it also here in, I think, 2017 or whatever it was. So I lost my podium like that.

“So I just remained calm, tried to do the best I could after that to bring the car to the end because it was not easy with the tyres and the situation that I was in.

“But yeah, overall, I still really enjoyed that battle that we had.

Norris was one of several drivers penalised for Turn 12 incidents with Verstappen asked if the FIA should come up with a solution going forward such as a gravel trap.

“I mean, it might help, but we have to deal with bikes as well that race here,” said Verstappen. “They don’t like the gravel, so then you have to remove it again.

“Track days, people spinning off, of course, on track days. You have amateur drivers, professional drivers. It does cost a lot of money when you have to do that, and not every track can do that throughout the year.

“Yes, it would work, but on the other hand, I’m not sure how sustainable that is for the season.

Winning Saturday’s sprint before adding a further 15 points in the Grand Prix, Verstappen extended his advantage over Norris by five points to 57.

“That is definitely the positive,” he said as he chases his fourth successive World title. “I did hope for a little bit more performance today, so that’s what we have to analyse, why today we were just not that good.

“I think everyone was a little bit better or at least the same as yesterday, and it felt like we were definitely worse. So I need to understand why that was, because I don’t know at the moment.”

Read next: US Grand Prix conclusions: Red Bull’s bibgate saga and Sergio Perez to jump?