Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle has questioned why Max Verstappen was not punished for running Lando Norris off the track during their battle at the United States Grand Prix.

This comes after Mercedes driver George Russell was penalized for a similar incident with Valtteri Bottas in Austin, Texas.

Martin Brundle questions Max Verstappen’s role in Lando Norris penalty

Norris was hit with a five-second penalty at the Circuit of the Americas for leaving the track and taking the lead while battling Red Bull driver and 2024 F1 title rival Verstappen for third place.

The McLaren driver initiated a move around the outside of Verstappen at Turn 12 on lap 52 of 56, completing the pass after reaching the run-off zone on the exit of the corner.

Norris asked the McLaren pit wall to check whether his overtake was legal, with the pit wall reassuring him that he was “ahead at the apex” of the corner.

F1 Data Analysis: 2024 United States Grand Prix

👉 US GP data reveals Max Verstappen miracle against McLaren

👉 How Verstappen and Norris telemetry data raises new FIA driving questions

However, Norris’ joy turned to disappointment at the checkered flag as five seconds were added to his race time, demoting him to fourth behind Verstappen.

The penalty represented a major blow to Norris’ world championship hopes, with the 24-year-old 57 points behind Verstappen with just five races remaining in the 2024 F1 season.

And it came after some accused Verstappen of pushing Norris off the track at Turn 1 on the opening lap, allowing eventual winner Charles Leclerc to take the lead.

The decision to penalize Norris sparked much debate, with McLaren team principal Andrea Stella accusing the FIA ​​stewards of “interfering with a great part of motorsport” by slapping Norris with an “inappropriate” punishment.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, meanwhile, remained unmoved, insisting it was “a black and white scenario”, with Norris’ penalty a “slam dunk” after Verstappen himself was denied a podium by a five-second penalty – also earned for overtaking another driver, in this case Kimi Raikkonen, off track – at the same location in 2017.

Russell was handed a controversial five-second penalty earlier in the race, with stewards ruling that the Mercedes driver had forced Bottas off the track at the exit of Turn 12.

And, writing in his post-race column on Sky F1, Brundle questioned why Verstappen was not hit with the same punishment despite Norris’ car being ahead when both men entered the braking zone.

He said: “I don’t know what happened to the ‘let them run’ approach of some time ago, which worked reasonably well.

“As far as I’m concerned, if you pass a car on the inside of a corner, while still under control and unlocked, and staying within the track limits, then you have won the corner and can take the normal racing trajectory by the exit, and it is up to the driver who has been overtaken to give in, not to press the accelerator and to inevitably move aside.

“George Russell took an unreasonable penalty for this in Austin because the guidelines had to be enforced. Like others.

“If Russell had been penalized for dismissing Valtteri Bottas, shouldn’t Verstappen have been penalized for dismissing Norris in the same corner?

“And here’s another question: Given that Norris had passed Verstappen on the outside before turn 12, when Verstappen came up on the inside, who was actually doing the overtaking at the apex of the corner, Verstappen or Norris?”

Brundle then called for a rethink of F1’s rules, with current guidelines on F1 driving standards only “discouraging overtaking, particularly on the outside” of corners.

He explained: “As far as I am concerned, the six-page guidelines (so no regulations), which have been signed by the FIA, the drivers’ association (GPDA) and the teams, are a model to deter overruns. , especially outdoors.

“There are key reference points which are difficult to define for both drivers and stewards, such as where exactly the apex of a given corner is across the entire width of the track, as well as the positions specific to the car’s front axle and mirrors in a fast moving event such as overtaking in a race.

“Sporting stewards are under pressure to make quick decisions so that penalties can be applied, positions quickly returned and teams and drivers know where they stand, not to mention fans and broadcasters, especially if a stoppage at the stand is imminent and a penalty must be imposed.

“Also, when it comes to podium places, especially towards the end of the race, there is even more pressure to make a quick decision as it is not desirable for drivers to be removed from the podium after the racing, as we’ve seen in Austin and Mexico before.

“Or change the outcome long after the fans have left the room or turned off their devices.

“It may be a price worth paying if drivers and teams are allowed to make their case after the race, and if stewards can be given more time to think before taking a decision. decision.

“Circuit layouts and layouts create problems, and increasingly complex driving rules fail to deal with all the inevitable and varied problems.

“Don’t just blame the referees, it’s not fair and won’t solve the problem. The driving guidelines need serious modification and simplification.

Read next: Major breakthrough in Red Bull upgrade as McLaren suffers MCL38 disruption