Michael Schumacher's brother sides with Lando Norris in the incident with Max Verstappen
Michael Schumacher's brother Ralf Schumacher has sided with Lando Norris in his US Grand Prix incident with Max Verstappen, stressing that the penalty for the McLaren driver wasn't necessary. The race in Austin saw Norris start the race on pole position alongside Verstappen. At the start of the race, once again the British driver was unable to capitalize on pole position and lost three places.
As the race unraveled, it became clear that McLaren had a better race pace later in the stint. As a result, Lando Norris started closing down Max Verstappen late in the first stint.
After Red Bull pitted Verstappen earlier to keep track position during the pitstop, McLaren extended to Norris' first stint to help him have a fresher set of tires going into the second stint. In the second and final stint, the British driver was catching up to the Dutch driver, and the two battled it out for multiple laps.
In the end, the battle concluded when Max Verstappen outbraked himself trying to defend his position from Lando Norris. The move led to both drivers going off track, but when they came back on track, it was the Red Bull driver who was behind.
With a handful of laps left, Norris was handed a five-second penalty for overtaking a car off-track. Talking about the incident, Michael Schumacher's brother Ralf, who is a part of the commentary team for Sky Sports Germany, said that the penalty was unnecessary. He said (via racingnews365.com):
“Verstappen put his car in the corner and there was no room for Norris at that moment. Of course he would have preferred to take a better line, but I think it's a shame. For me it was racing. Max tried everything, Norris tried everything. The penalty was not entirely necessary from my point of view.”
FIA should have stayed out of the Lando Norris-Max Verstappen battle: Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher also pointed out that while Lando Norris also went off track, it wasn't as if Max Verstappen had made the corner either. According to the rules, the driver that's ahead at the apex has the right to the corner, and that's why it was ruled in favor of Verstappen. Having said that, Schumacher felt that the FIA should have stayed out of it and let the drivers sort that one out. He said:
“You can say: but where should he go? Then he has to slow down, somehow find a way to get back behind him and try again the next lap. That's how you can see it."
He added:
“But he's in the lead and then Max just drives in and out. Max doesn't make the corner either. From that point of view I don't think it's fair. I would have preferred those two to be left alone and the FIA to stay out of it.”
The race saw Max Verstappen pull out another five points in the championship lead over Lando Norris. The Dutch driver is now 57 points ahead of his rival, and with only five races left, he is the favorite to win the title this season.