When ‘most’ F1 drivers felt Max Verstappen should have been penalised in famous Lewis Hamilton battle

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Max Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel tactics are once again under scrutiny after the US Grand Prix. Lando Norris received a five-second penalty after his run-in with the Dutchman at the end of the race.

Norris, who had the benefit of fresher tyres, reeled Verstappen in but initially struggled to get close enough before the turn 12 braking zone – the main overtaking opportunity on the track – to mount a move. On lap 52, however, he was clearly alongside.

Verstappen is notorious for his regulation-testing defensive driving, and there was an added intensity about this battle. He was going up against his nearest challenger in the drivers’ championship.

Norris came into the race more than 50 points behind and only stood to gain three by passing the Red Bull as they scrapped for third. It wasn’t, then, a repeat of Verstappen’s 2021 duels with Lewis Hamilton.

But psychologically, it was important to keep the Englishman behind. And Norris was only able to overtake by running off track.

That earned him a five-second penalty, which dropped him back to fourth at the chequered flag. Jenson Button was concerned by Verstappen’s tactics, suggesting drivers on the inside can now ‘fly’ into a corner to claim it in the eyes of the stewards.

F1 drivers felt Max Verstappen escaped deserved penalty for forcing Lewis Hamilton off

The debate led BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson to revisit the 2021 season, when Verstappen was involved in that epic title battle with Hamilton. The fight became increasingly bitter after a series of incidents.

Verstappen had to go to hospital after a 51G impact at the British Grand Prix, for which Hamilton was penalised, but the stewards deemed the Red Bull man at fault for the Monza tangle that ended both drivers’ races. They collided again in Saudi Arabia in somewhat farcical fashion.

A couple of rounds before Jeddah, in Brazil, Hamilton scored one of his greatest F1 victories as he rallied from 20th in the Sprint, and 10th in the main Grand Prix, to defeat Verstappen. His Mercedes was unstoppable that day, even in the face of his rival’s controversial resistance.

In one especially memorable moment, Verstappen appeared to run Hamilton wide on the exit of turn four, with both cars well off the track. According to Benson, the consensus among the drivers was that he should have been penalised, and this could have affected the outcome of the championship by demoting him to third behind Valtteri Bottas.

“That was at much higher speed, so the danger was greater, but in that case most of the drivers felt Verstappen should have had a penalty after both drivers went off the track,” he wrote in a Q&A. “He did not get one.”

Max Verstappen sends ‘kindergarten’ message to Lando Norris over US Grand Prix incident

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella recently told outlets including Crash.net that ‘we don’t want to see another 2021’. The feeling in their camp is that the stewards legitimised Verstappen’s excessive aggression three years ago.

Now, McLaren think Verstappen is ‘gaming the rules’. He knows exactly what he can get away with and pushes the boundaries without exceeding them.

Predictably, the 27-year-old himself has dismissed any criticism. Verstappen told Norris that F1 isn’t ‘kindergarten’ in light of his opponent’s complaints.

The sport could review its racing rules heading into the 2025 season. Verstappen and Norris previously clashed in Austria, but on that occasion the former received a 10-second penalty.