Red Bull think Lando Norris is about to face the same restriction as Max Verstappen’s teammates

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Lando Norris invited plenty of intrigue when he said before the United States Grand Prix that he would face ‘repercussions’ for hitting Oscar Piastri in Singapore. And Red Bull think they know the details.

Both McLaren drivers, along with senior team staff, have refused to elaborate on the matter. They’re wary of handing any advantage to their rivals.

The Woking outfit have already sealed the constructors’ title, but Max Verstappen is closing in the drivers’ championship. His Sprint victory on Saturday, following McLaren’s double DNF, trimmed the gap to 55 points.

McLaren’s USA Sprint crash came a fortnight after the two drivers banged wheels at the start in Singapore. The team didn’t order Norris to give the place back at the time – he took third ahead of Piastri – but they have since penalised him for breaching their racing guidelines.

Lando Norris may become McLaren’s number two driver in qualifying, say Red Bull

Speaking on his ‘Notebook‘ after the Sprint, Sky Sports analyst Ted Kravitz said he’d been asking McLaren’s rivals for any insight into the so-called ‘repercussions’ for Norris.

While Mercedes didn’t know, Red Bull have formed a theory that Kravitz agrees with. They think Piastri will now be treated as McLaren’s number-one driver in qualifying sessions.

In practice, that means the championship leader will be allowed to choose whether he goes out first or second. McLaren clearly see this as a fair remedy after Piastri lost three points to his teammate at Marina Bay.

“I’ll let you into a little secret: we ask the other teams,” Kravitz said. “I’ve asked Mercedes, and they didn’t know what the repercussions are.

“But I’ve asked Red Bull, and they said, ‘We think the repercussions are that they’re going to give Oscar Piastri the priority in all the qualifying sessions until the end of the season.

“So Oscar Piastri will effectively be treated, in the qualifying sessions, as the number-one driver. That, indeed, is the way Red Bull run their team. Max Verstappen is the clear number-one driver, and he gets priority in all the qualifying sessions.

“That’s what Red Bull think the repercussions are, and I tend to agree with them.”

Martin Brundle’s verdict on McLaren ‘repercussions’ for Lando Norris after Oscar Piastri incident

Verstappen created a ‘headline’ about McLaren by joking that they were favouring Norris in Thursday’s press conference. The atmosphere at Andrea Stella’s team has been outwardly peaceful so far.

But the Red Bull superstar will be hoping that some self-destructive tension creeps into the garage as he eyes one of F1’s greatest-ever comebacks.

Having discovered the details, Martin Brundle says Norris’ repercussions aren’t a ‘big deal’. He did suggest they could be impactful at a race like Las Vegas, though.

If Piastri can choose the run plan, it might be especially advantageous when track evolution is high, and the drivers who cross the line later benefit from more grip.