What McLaren think Max Verstappen is doing that’s ‘essentially unfair’ in Lando Norris battle

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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have been embroiled in controversy following their battle on track at the end of the United States Grand Prix.

Norris was handed a five-second time penalty for overtaking Verstappen off-track at Turn 12 and gaining an advantage, but some feel it was harsh to interfere with their battle.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said it was ‘inappropriate’ for the stewards to investigate their on-track conduct, while Karun Chandhok has suggested a rule change after Verstappen seemingly got away with forcing Norris wide.

Norris’ engineer, Will Joseph, was adamant that he was ahead at the apex which is why McLaren initially did not tell him to hand the place back to Verstappen. He then tried to build up a five-second gap, but ultimately came short by crossing the line just four seconds ahead of the Dutchman.

According to journalist Andrew Benson, McLaren is said to be unhappy with Verstappen’s conduct on track and believes that he is ‘gaming’ the rules.

Max Verstappen ‘gaming’ rules around wheel-to-wheel combat

It is not the first time Verstappen’s driving conduct has come under scrutiny this season after he was criticised for his defensive driving on Norris at the Austrian GP, which eventually led to contact between the pair.

According to Benson, McLaren believes Verstappen is exploiting the driving standards and generating an unfair advantage in doing so by forcing another driver off the track.

“McLaren’s argument is this was an example of a standard operating procedure of Verstappen – throw his car up the inside and force the other driver wide – when he is defending, which is essentially unfair,” wrote Benson.

“What McLaren are essentially saying is Verstappen is ‘gaming’ the rules – driving to the letter, but in a manner many would consider not fair racing. It could be argued this is a flaw in the drivers’ racing guidelines.”

George Russell penalised for less than what Max Verstappen got away with at COTA

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff accused the US GP stewards of being biased when they handed George Russell a five-second time penalty for forcing Valtteri Bottas off-track.

The incident occurred at the same corner, but unlike Verstappen, the Mercedes driver stayed within the track limits as Bottas tried to hang around the outside.

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

If Verstappen made an attempt to keep his RB20 on the road, it would have been easier for Red Bull to argue that Norris had gained an advantage by running off track.

Norris felt after the race that his McLaren team should have told him to hand the position back to avoid a penalty, given he had the pace to pull off the move in the first place.