Lando Norris’ championship hopes were dealt a hammer blow after he was handed a controversial five-second penalty to finish behind rival Max Verstappen following a compelling US Grand Prix.
As Charles Leclerc raced to an impressive win at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, pole man Norris was only fourth – one place behind Verstappen – to leave him 57 points adrift in the title race with only 146 points to play for across the concluding five rounds.
Carlos Sainz took second to complete a Ferrari one-two. Norris spent the final dozen laps crawling all over Verstappen’s gearbox in a thrilling conclusion, and he eventually made the move stick on the 52nd lap.
RACE CLASSIFICATION (LAP 56/56) A red letter day for @ScuderiaFerrari #F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/a7HuHuTjlp — Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024 However, the stewards quickly launched an investigation into the pass, and Norris was adjudged to have run off the track.