Lando Norris’s penalty for overtaking Max Verstappen off track in the United States Grand Prix has triggered another controversy about Formula 1’s policing of driving standards.
Amid an intense fight between the McLaren driver and his Red Bull rival for third place, the incident between the pair at Turn 12 on lap 52 has divided opinions and once again left fans confused about what is and is not allowed.
Looking at the reasons behind the decision, Norris' punishment was for overtaking Verstappen for third while he was off the track. In official terms, this falls under the remit of leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
This is because, in the judgement of the stewards, Norris had not earned the right to the corner – so going off track was entirely of his own making.
In the official stewards’ statement outlining the reasons for the decision, they say that Norris had not fulfilled certain requirements in the guidelines that stewards use.
The stewards said: “Car 4 [Norris] was overtaking Car 1 [Verstappen] on the outside, but was not level with Car 1 at the apex.
“Therefore, under the Driving Standards Guidelines, Car 4 had lost the 'right' to the corner. Accordingly, as Car 4 left the track and returned in front of Car 1, it is deemed to be a case of leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage.”
While Verstappen left the track himself in his defensive actions against Norris, the stewards did not think that made what Norris did acceptable.
However, they did conclude that Norris had a justifiable reason to be off circuit, because Verstappen had run wide himself, so that is why he was handed a lesser penalty than normal and was not given a strike for breaching track limits, which would have been his fourth offence and earned him a sanction.
The stewards added: “A five-second penalty is imposed instead of the 10-second penalty recommended in the guidelines because having committed to the overtaking move on the outside the driver of Car 4 had little alternative other than to leave the track because of the proximity of Car 1 which had also left the track. In view of the above, we determine that this will not count as a track limit 'strike' for Car 4.”
What the Driving Standards Guidelines say
The explanation of the stewards makes reference to the Driving Standards Guidelines, which is a document that, while not publicly available, has been sent to all competitors.
The guidelines have been pulled together by the FIA, and were created in conjunction with the drivers, to try to create a framework to ensure more consistent stewards’ decisions.
They are specifically aimed at offering a clearer set of rules for drivers, especially when it comes to working out when drivers do and do not have the right to a corner.
The document, a copy of which has been seen by Autosport, outlines the rights that a driver has when it comes to overtaking either inside or outside of a rival.
In the Norris/Verstappen incident, this is classified as an overtake on the outside, which the guidelines state is “a more difficult manoeuvre to accomplish.”
However, it lays out three criteria for the drivers on the outside to earn the right to be given room “including at the exit.”
It states that they must:
- Have the front axle AT LEAST ALONGSIDE WITH the front axle of the other car at the apex of the corner and to the exit.
- Be driven in a safe and controlled manner throughout the manoeuvre (entry, apex and exit).
- Be able to make the corner within the track limits
In the stewards’ verdict, it states that Norris had not fulfilled the very first criteria.
Overhead footage indeed suggests that while Norris had got alongside Verstappen on the run down to Turn 12, by the time they hit the apex – as the Red Bull braked later – he was no longer as far forward as the rules required.
Therefore, there was no requirement for Verstappen to give him room on the exit.
However, what the rules do not take into account is the fact that Verstappen brakes later than Norris to ensure that he was at the apex first, even though that extra speed carried him wide and ultimately off the track.
And it is also not clear whether, if Norris had got ahead on the straight, the situation would better be judged based on Verstappen actually being the car that is overtaking.
For a car overtaking on the inside there are similar requirements. It must:
- Have its front axle AT LEAST ALONGSIDE of the mirror of the other car no later than the apex of the corner.
- Be driven in a safe and controlled manner throughout the manoeuvre (entry, apex and exit).
- Without (deliberately) forcing the other car off the track at the exit. This includes leaving a fair and acceptable width for the car being overtaken from the apex to the exit of the corner.
- Be able to make the corner within the track limits.
Based on what happened at Turn 12, Verstappen fulfilled the first point, the second point is subject to debate and he did not fulfil the third or fourth elements.
The room for interpretation
There is one interesting element of the guidelines that it emphasised early on, and that is that there is no way to create a set of rules that are a perfect fit for every incident.
It makes clear that “racing is a dynamic process” and that there are multiple elements that the stewards will take into account when it comes to delivering a final verdict.
It says these include:
- How did the cars get to the incident? (E.g. late braking, diving in, moving under braking.)
- Was the manoeuvre late or “optimistic”?
- What could the drivers reasonably see, know, or anticipate?
- Do we believe the manoeuvre could be completed on the track?
- Was there understeer / oversteer / locking?
- Did someone position / handle their car in a way that contributed to the incident?
- Did the type of corner contribute to the incident? (e.g. camber, kerbs, curve, apexes)
- What were the relative tyres / tyre age / grip?
So, in the end, the final decision of the stewards remains a matter predominantly down to their opinion and their interpretation of what has unfolded on track.
As the Guidelines state quite clearly: “The stewards will consider each incident, with expert advice from our driver steward, and make our best, but final, decision at the time”.
