Lando Norris lambasted Formula 1‘s track limits regulations after an intense 20-lap battle with Charles Leclerc during the United States Grand Prix.
Norris came into the race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas hoping to make a decisive blow to team-mate Oscar Piastri’s points lead in the championship.
Starting alongside Max Verstappen on the front row, however, quickly turned the 56-lap race into a tricky affair as he got pipped by Leclerc after Verstappen shut the door.
Stuck behind the SF-25 of Leclerc, who was on the red-walled Soft tyres, meant the Briton had to eke out everything from his Medium compound to get past the Monegasque.
His pursuit of the Ferrari driver finally came good on Lap 21. But by then, he had already racked up the allowed three strikes for track limits being receiving a penalty.
One such violation was notified by the stewards as Norris’ MCL39 was pushed wide by Leclerc in the final sector.
Norris slammed the regulations, calling it “one of the silliest rules” as he was punished for a racing incident.
“I mean, the places which were easy to go off were Turn 9 over the crest of the hill, and then the last two corners. I think I was on three strikes by like lap 10,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So I didn’t put myself in the best position. But then one of my strikes was because I was racing.
“You know, I think that’s one of the silliest rules that we have – we’re invited to try and race, but if you race too much, you get a penalty for it.
“And I got a track limits [strike] for trying to go around the outside and losing time to Charles. So, doesn’t really make much sense in terms of going racing.”
Track limits made Norris’ US GP ‘trickier’ than usual
Once the Briton was past Leclerc, he would have hoped to push to catch up to Verstappen. However, the McLaren driver seemingly slipped into a conservative rhythm.
After the first round of pit stops, he was even undercut by Leclerc, meaning he had to pass the Ferrari driver on track all over again.
This meant that by the time the chequered flag was waved, Verstappen had managed to bag his third race win in four races.
Norris admitted that with a five-second penalty hanging over his neck for any subsequent track limits violation, his race was pretty much dictated by his first battle with Leclerc.
“It definitely made my life that little bit trickier,” conceded Norris.
“Especially Turn 19, with the wind, like Max said, it was pretty inconsistent.
“It’s difficult to just be always on the limit and not make mistakes – which I obviously made a couple too many of, too early on.
“But yeah, a little bit more cautious at the end because I knew I couldn’t afford a penalty. But I took the risks I needed to.”
Norris and Leclerc contemplate 2026 F1 rule changes
The entire grid chose to stick to a one-stop strategy for the 56-lap race.
But the racing action at the front of the field meant that the duo of Norris and Leclerc had to be in tyre preservation mode all race long.
Leclerc, however, was better off than Norris in terms of the duration he spent behind the gearbox of the MCL39 – meaning he did not lose enough performance and his tyres really did not overheat much, leading to minimal mistakes and moments where he was facing any sort of action outside the defined track limits.
“I didn’t really follow much today. But it’s a track that I think we really enjoy – the way the track is made and how open up the entry of the corners are made it very entertaining and nice, because you’ve got different lines,” he explained.
“And yeah, this helps action and trying to make overtakes. So, yeah, I really, really enjoyed it.
“Then for the last few laps I did behind Lando, I was struggling quite a bit with tyres. So I didn’t follow for very long.”
Norris, on the other hand, surmised that his moments leading to the track limits violations were caused owing to the inherent characteristics of the ground effects cars.
“I followed for quite long. And, I mean, it’s tricky,” he asserted.
“Honestly, it’s almost trickier to follow in the slow speed than it is the high-speed corners.
“That’s why on the street circuits, you also never really get overtaken – because it’s almost harder to follow on them than it is in quicker circuits at the minute.”
With the 2026 regulations reset right over the horizon, Norris is hopeful that close racing action might be benefited with the changes envisaged with the technical ruleset.
“Next year – completely different. I have no idea. It’s a completely different car,” added Norris.
“The battery and all that stuff is – yeah, I don’t even know how it’s going to work next year, to be honest.
“So, I’m sure it’ll be a lot better just because there’s a lot less downforce and a lot less grip. And the cars won’t look anywhere near as cool going through, like, Sector 1 here, for example, because it’s a lot slower in the corners. But they’ll be quick in the straights for a few seconds. So I think the racing will probably be a bit better next year.”
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