FIA announce UPDATE on Verstappen penalty argument

Lando Norris' controversial overtake on Max Verstappen at the US Grand Prix has been revisited by the FIA.

McLaren submitted a Right of Review appeal to the governing body after Norris was handed a five-second penalty, which dropped him back behind the Dutchman, claiming they had 'significant and relevant new element/s' to present to the stewards.

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The US GP last time out saw championship rivals Norris and Verstappen fight for the final spot on the podium behind a momentous Ferrari one-two at COTA.

McLaren's battle with Verstappen's Red Bull veered off track however, with Norris handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, despite many papaya fans likely feeling as if the British star only did so having been pushed by Verstappen and his aggressive driving style.

Both drivers' claimed they felt they had done no wrong, with McLaren vehemently protesting the FIA's decision after the penalty was announced just in time for the chequered flag, Norris finishing fourth behind the Red Bull.

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FIA reject McLaren US GP petition

Heading into the Mexican GP weekend, the debate still dominated the headlines, with McLaren filing a petition with the FIA for a Right of Review over the incident, with a video conference hearing set to take place on Friday in Mexico, in accordance with Article 14 of the FIA International Sporting Code.

Representatives for McLaren, the FIA and Red Bull were all present at the hearing where the FIA were required to determine if any of the evidence presented by McLaren F1 met the necessary criteria of being significant, relevant, new and unavailable to McLaren at the time of the decision.

In a statement from the FIA, it was revealed that McLaren claimed: "The document for the decision contained a statement that was incorrect and that evidenced an objective, measurable and provable error had been made by the stewards"

The statement in question referred to the FIA's claim that Norris' car was overtaking Verstappen's on the outside but was not level with the Red Bull at the apex, further believing Car 4 had already overtaken and was ahead "at the braking zone."

McLaren principal Andrea Stella expressed his view at the hearing that ‘the case for McLaren was a “legally sophisticated explanation”, with Red Bull representative Jonathan Wheatley expressing: “in view of the “very high bar” that is set (in Article 14 of the FIA International Sporting Code) for a successful petition of a Right of Review, it is extremely onerous to establish the existence of the new element.

The stewards additionally noted the decision of the stewards in relation to elements previously presented in the case of the Right of Review from McLaren in Canada 2023, Aston Martin Saudi Arabia 2023 and Ferrari Australia 2023, alongside other petitions from previous seasons.

Instead of determining which criteria the petition had met, the FIA focused on relevance, with McLaren submitting that the stewards statement that “Car 4 was not level with Car 1 at the apex” was an error.

The FIA declared: "The concept that the written Decision (document number 69) was the significant and relevant new element, or that an error in the decision was a new element, is not sustainable and is therefore, rejected.

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