Drivers want FIA answers on why Verstappen was not penalized in Austin

Formula 1 drivers are set to review the United States Grand Prix battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at a driver briefing in Mexico amid questions over how the FIA's racing rules are applied.

Verstappen and Norris battled hard for third place in Austin until they both went into Turn 12 in Austin with four laps to go. Norris passed his title rival off the track, earning him a five-second penalty, while Verstappen was not penalized for pushing his teammate.

As written in the racing standard guidelines, Verstappen was on the right as the defending car and Norris did not have to leave the racing room. McLaren launched a right of review petition on Thursday to have the case reconsidered, with Norris arguing that he was already ahead of Verstappen because he was the defending party rather than the Dutchman.

While the stewards appeared to apply the correct standing rules, several leading drivers took issue with the practice of allowing drivers to launch on the inside regardless of whether they were able to make the corner, as long as they were ahead of their opponents at the apex.

“It was always a gray area,” Lewis Hamilton said. “They'll probably have to make some adjustments for sure. There's also inconsistency through our judgment depending on which stewards are there. And as a game, we need to be level in all areas.

“I've experienced that many times with Max. You're not going to be able to just turn the car on the inside and then go and still hold position.”

Hamilton's team-mate George Russell said he was now keen to learn how the FIA ​​viewed the incident and their interpretation of whether Verstappen was completely correct or exploited an unintended flaw in the current guidelines – or “taking the piss” as Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas described it.

“I don't think you can write a set of rules that cover every possible scenario, it's a very fine line,” said Russell, director of the drivers' association.

“I'm really interested to see whether or not the FIA ​​believes, reviewing everything, whether Max should have been punished for what he did or didn't do. In my view, he should have been punished. So, there's really no loophole. If they Says: 'Based on our regulations, he should not have been punished', then he is finding a loophole.”

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz said he also had questions about how aggressive a defending car could be.

“That's a very good question that I need to ask the stewards, because obviously it changes the way we race,” he said. “That means the guy doing the maintenance on the inside can brake as late as they want and they can fake the fact that you're trying to hit the top when you might not be.”

“It needs to be clarified because they were both at fault in that case; Max for running wide and Lando for gaining position off the track. That's why that particular scene is so complicated as to how to rule on it.”

Both Russell and Sainz agreed that a gravel strip outside Turn 12 would largely solve the underlying problem, and some drivers are expecting a similar problem at Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend.

“The root cause of the problem is a circuit that allows you to run wide,” Russell said. “And if we take Austria as an example last year, you had, I don't know, 300 track limit problems. They throw gravel and there's no problem.

“If you gravel that corner, Lando won't go off and overtake, and Max won't brake late and go alongside.”

Sainz added that changing circuits would be much simpler than endless discussions about racing rules.

“If you think about it, the solution itself can be solved by circuit standards or changes. We keep going around in circles with guidelines that could be easy to solve with little changes to some tracks, which some tracks already do.”

Austin's Circuit of the Americas, which hosts MotoGP which has different run-off requirements, is understood to be in talks with the FIA ​​about possible changes for 2025.

Additional reporting by Alex Kalinakas and Erwin Zaegy