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Oct 22, 2024

What frustrated Jenson Button told Christian Horner in F1 rule change demand

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris run off the track during their battle Jenson Button has told Christian Horner that he was frustrated watching Max Verstappen’s off-track defending as he “ran them both

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris run off the track during their battle

Jenson Button has told Christian Horner that he was frustrated watching Max Verstappen’s off-track defending as he “ran them both off the track” in Austin.

But while Horner argued that the “rules are the rules”, the 2009 World Champion says F1 needs better rules that prevent drivers from pushing a rival off the track.

Verstappen played Formula 1’s rules perfectly at the United States Grand Prix as he used the more lenient ‘let them race’ policy to attack Lando Norris at Turn 1 on the opening lap, pushing the McLaren driver off the track.

The rule book was again in play on lap 52 when Norris tried to pass Verstappen around the outside at Turn 12.

Getting a run on the Red Bull driver, telemetry shows that Norris had overtaken Verstappen metres before Turn 12 only for the Dutchman to brake very late to be the one ahead at the apex.

That meant he had the right to the corner and even though he ran both himself and Norris off the track as he wasn’t able to make the corner, he had the right to stay ahead.

Norris though, kept his foot down in the run-off area and returned to the track ahead of Verstappen and refused to give the position back. He was slapped with a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Red Bull team boss Horner told Sky pundit Button that’s the rule.

“It was hard racing between them,” said Horner. “They’ve gone off the circuit and Lando passed off the circuit – the rules are very, very clear.

“Max was obviously straight on the radio, the race director was pretty clear. You can see that he went out of track and clearly off the circuit.”

Button replied: “Well, both guys went off the circuit!”

Horner responded to that: “Well, you can’t overtake.”

👉Explained: Why Max Verstappen wasn’t penalised in dramatic Lando Norris battle

👉Lando Norris claims FIA ‘change the rules’ after ‘not correct’ Verstappen defence

“It’s frustrating for us watching,” Button told the team boss, “because Lando overtook him off the track but then Max went off the track, and it’s all about who’s in front at the apex.

“Max was in front but is that because he let off the brake in the apex so he ran them both off track?

“It seems your driver is very good at understanding the regulations and it’s more of the problem that we need better regulation of what is okay and what isn’t.

“We saw it with many fights on the track at that corner. Guys overtaking, putting it down the inside and then just driving the other guy off the track. If it was Monaco they wouldn’t do that.

“We need a rule that you cannot push another car completely off the track and then I think we would have some better racing and we wouldn’t have to keep talking about this.”

But while Horner understands the “frustration”, the Briton insisted: “At the end of the day the rules are the rules. The drivers know that and they’re driving accordingly.

“Max was acutely aware that as soon as Lando went over that white line, off track and overtook, that that’s illegal. He was straight on the radio.

“I think before that there were some track limits as well, so there was a whole bunch of things going on at that point in time.”

Although Verstappen crossed the line behind Norris, 4.1s down, the penalty to Norris meant he claimed third place and walked away from a Grand Prix weekend having outscored Norris for the first time in five races to extend his advantage in the Drivers’ standings to 57 points.

Horner was surprised Norris didn’t give the position back as he believes the McLaren had the pace to attack again in the final few laps.

“I think with the hindsight of what we’ve seen the way that these things play out, yes, I would have,” he said about giving the position back. “You could see the pace advantage that Lando had. And there was always going to be doubts about that.

“And for us, it looked like a slam dunk. So, you know, why take the risk? To have that pace advantage, could’ve quite easy get another lap and he could have probably done it again up the inside rather than the outside.”

He thought Norris was going to do it at Turn 1 only to stay ahead. “They all got tangled up at Turn 1 so it looked like he was about to let him pass. It was very unusual what happened up there,” he added.

Read next: ‘Clever’ Verstappen tactic uncovered in Norris battle amid ‘silly’ McLaren decision