The stewards have declared no further action on Lando Norris for “driving erratically” whilst battling Charles Leclerc in Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix Sprint race.
Norris lost second place to Carlos Sainz heading into Turn 1 when he locked up under braking on the last lap of the truncated race, handing the position to the Spaniard.
The incident occurred later on when Leclerc tried to pass Norris heading into Turn 15 and he narrowly avoided making contact with the rear of the McLaren car.
Over the radio, the Monegasque complained that the British driver moved under braking, as he had to react quickly to avoid any contact between the two drivers.
The stewards investigated the incident after the race as they looked into whether Norris was “driving erratically” or not.
After both drivers explained their actions to the stewards, the panel determined that no further action was required, maintaining Norris’ third-place result.
“There did not appear to be any significant changes of direction under braking, and the move at Turn 15 was a legitimate defending move by the driver of Car 4,” the stewards said.
Leclerc reflects on ‘close call’ with Norris
After the Sprint Race, Leclerc gave his take on the incident: “I did not expect him to do that,” he said. “Maybe in the heat of the moment, I considered that he was moving under braking.
“I’ve got to look back at the images, It seems to be on the limit with the way he took the line but at the end, it’s racing as well.
“So he wanted to keep that position, I tried. It was close. It was a close call. We nearly crashed but yeah, at the end, nobody crashed and he finished in front.”
His onboard showed that Norris moved to the inside to cover himself from any potential late move from the Ferrari driver.
So when the 27-year-old braked later than usual, he had to take evasive action to avoid a collision into the back of the McLaren.
Norris’ gap to Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings took a hit after the Red Bull driver was victorious in the Sprint race with his championship rival finishing behind him.
Read More: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruises to F1 US GP Sprint victory
