Lando Norris endured a messy United States Grand Prix sprint race, and he could be in further trouble.
Lando Norris is under investigation for ‘driving erratically’ following a messy last-lap battle with Charles Leclerc. The Brit slipped from second to third on the final tour of the sprint race on Saturday.
The championship protagonist enjoyed an ideal start when the lights went out, gaining positions on Leclerc and second-placed George Russell to put his MCL38 machine right in the mirrors of title rival Max Verstappen.
After closing to within 1.2 seconds of the Dutchman during the middle portion of the race, Norris’ pace dropped off and he came under pressure from the fast-charging Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Leclerc.
Sainz made his way through after Norris locked up at Turn One, but the Brit managed to avoid dropping to fourth, blocking Leclerc with a bold defensive move to the inside at Turn 15.
Unfortunately for Leclerc, he anticipated a different defensive move and nearly lost control of his SF-24 in an attempt to avoid crashing into the rear of Norris’ McLaren.
Formula One fans are adamant that McLaren star Lando Norris should be handed a penalty which could have a massive impact on the championship.
Following a month long break, the first of the final six race weekends of the 2024 F1 season is underway at the Circuit of the Americas, Texas, the host of the US GP.
Ahead of the Grand Prix race on Sunday, championship leader Max Verstappen won the fourth sprint race of the 2024 season, adding another eight points to his season total.
However, the main talking point of the sprint came after a move from Lando Norris has led to fans on social media demanding that he is handed a penalty for Sunday’s race.
During the sprint race, a late hit of the brakes from Norris meant that Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who finished the race in third, came within inches of crashing into the back of the McLaren driver, potentially ending the drive for both men.
Reacting to the clip on social media platform X, one fan wrote: “Norris deserves penalty for this stupid movie. He could have caused double DNF.”
