Lando Norris expressed frustration after being penalized for a passing attempt on Max Verstappen during the United States Grand Prix, calling it a “momentum killer” for his championship hopes. The penalty, which Norris described as “rash,” dropped him from third to fourth, just behind Verstappen, who now leads the championship by 57 points with five races remaining.

Norris admitted to making a mistake at the first corner, where Verstappen forced him wide, allowing Charles Leclerc to take the lead and eventually win the race. Although the incidents were contentious, Norris and his McLaren team were more upset about a key moment in the race, with four laps remaining.

After spending much of the race behind Verstappen, Norris, benefiting from fresher tires, closed in on him. Following an intense battle over several laps, Norris made a move around the outside at Turn 12, but both cars ran off track, with Norris emerging ahead. Verstappen immediately claimed Norris had overtaken him off track, which is against the rules, though McLaren viewed the situation differently.

Norris argued that Verstappen had over-defended by going off track and effectively forced him off. He felt it was impossible to determine if he could have stayed on track, making it difficult to steward the situation accurately. McLaren’s team boss, Andrea Stella, echoed these concerns, stating that the stewards should have reviewed the incident with both drivers after the race.

Norris criticized the stewards for making what he saw as a hasty decision without hearing both sides. Despite his frustrations, Norris praised the battle with Verstappen, acknowledging it was a close, respectful fight. He admitted his own mistakes, particularly at Turn One, where he felt he could have defended better and avoided the situation altogether.

In the end, the stewards ruled that Norris had gained a lasting advantage by leaving the track, issuing a penalty that dropped him behind Verstappen. Had Norris finished ahead of Verstappen, he would have cut the championship gap by six points instead of losing ground.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc dominated the race and emphasized the team’s focus on winning the constructors’ championship. Ferrari is now 48 points behind McLaren and eight behind Red Bull in the standings. Leclerc acknowledged that winning the drivers’ championship would require some luck, but he remained optimistic about their constructors’ title chances.

For Mercedes, the weekend was challenging, with Lewis Hamilton spinning out early and teammate George Russell also struggling. Hamilton raised concerns about the team’s new car upgrades, which both drivers found difficult to manage throughout the weekend. Despite these issues, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said there was no fundamental problem with the upgrade, but the team would review their approach ahead of the next race in Brazil.