Lando Norris labelled his United States Grand Prix weekend a “momentum killer” for his Formula 1 title hopes after losing ground to Max Verstappen.

The McLaren driver had gone into the Austin event 52 points behind his Red Bull rival and well aware that, with time running out, he needed to start cutting the deficit dramatically.

But rather than continuing to close down the margin, Norris actually lost five more points after being classified behind Verstappen in both the sprint and the grand prix.

His efforts on Sunday though were not helped by a controversial five-second penalty for overtaking off the track that dropped him from third on the road ahead of Verstappen to behind his rival.

Asked how much the weekend had impacted his title prospect, Norris said: “I mean, quite a bit. It’s a momentum killer.

“But we came in here with our mind open, not expecting to dominate or just win or anything. The fact that Ferrari was so quick showed they’re just as competitive.

“Even if I had come around Turn 1 in first, I would never have finished first or second and only could have finished third.

“The one guy I needed to beat was Max, and that’s the guy I didn’t beat. So, it was an unsuccessful weekend all in all.

“But we gave it a good shot. I tried. It wasn’t good enough, and we have work to do, and I’ve work to do on myself.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

While McLaren’s form in the United States was not as good as it has been in recent race weekends, team boss Andrea Stella said he was not surprised that things were more difficult this time out.

He said that the contrast in pace, between dominating in Singapore in the last race and being on the back foot a little in Austin, was down to track characteristics.

“Compared to Singapore here, there’s quite a lot more low-speed braking into low-speed corners, plus wind, and we know that in these conditions, not necessarily our car performs at the best.

“It is not as good as in some medium speed corners, low wind conditions, which we had in Singapore, we had in Zandvoort, and we had in Hungary.

“We know that these three venues that I’ve just mentioned do suit our car, but here I would have expected this event to be the most difficult of the remaining six events.”

Stella also thinks it important to understand that Ferrari’s dominant form in Austin was not a big shock, because analysis of recent races shows that perhaps the Italian squad had not maximised its chances before.

“They have been quick over the previous races pretty consistently,” he added. “If anything, they have not been capable of maximising their potential.

“In Baku, Leclerc, in fairness, was definitely in condition to win the race. In Singapore, we were expecting Leclerc to be competitive for pole position and the same in the race. So, we are not surprised that Ferrari is so close.

“I think the next circuits should be more suitable to the characteristics of our car. We also have to keep developing the car.

“Here, we took some developments to the front of the car, but they were nothing too large in terms of potential lap time impact. We have a couple more things that are coming in the next two races, and we will see if we are in a condition to alter the competitiveness of the car.”

Additional reporting by Alex Kalinauckas

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has backed the US GP stewards over the penalty given to McLaren’s Lando Norris after his battle with Formula 1 title rival Max Verstappen, calling it a “black-and-white” case.

Norris was fighting for the final podium position at the Circuit of the Americas when he made an overtake around the outside at Turn 12, which Verstappen defended robustly and, with both cars leaving the circuit and continuing, the British driver kept hold of the position.

McLaren expected Verstappen to be on the receiving end of an investigation for forcing its driver off-track when defending, much like Mercedes’ George Russell had been earlier in the race in battle with Valtteri Bottas’s Sauber.

However, the stewards instead decided Norris was the one at fault and handed him a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

The Woking-based outfit condemned the decision that reversed placings in the final results and saw Verstappen extend his lead to 57 points in the race for the title, while Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff suggested ‘bias’ in the decision-making.

But Horner has insisted the call was the correct one, explaining: “The racing between the two of them was competitive and great to watch and obviously, all the drivers know acutely what the rules are.

“They discuss these issues and particular corners in the briefings with the various stewards and driver stewards and race directors.

“The pass was made off-track. We’ve been on the receiving end of that, in fact here, I think against Kimi, 2018. So for us, it was crystal clear that the pass had been made off the track, so he should have given the place back. He chose not to so therefore there was a penalty. So for us, it was very much a black-and-white scenario.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle into turn 1

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

On the perceived inconsistency of stewarding across the weekend, in particular, with Russell and Yuki Tsunoda both penalised when on the inside of the corner for pushing rivals wide, Horner replied: “I think it’s very difficult for the stewards and every incident is different, so you have to look at every incident individually.

“When you’re on the receiving end of it, it’s not nice. As I say, we’ve been on the receiving end of it numerous times, not just at this track, but at other tracks. So they all know what’s at stake.

“What I perhaps didn’t understand was: it was clear there was going to be a penalty, or it looked pretty clear there was going to be a penalty, with the car advantage and tyre advantage that McLaren had at that point of the race.

“It looked like he went to give the place back up at Turn 1, but there was some confusion there. If he’d given the place back immediately, he probably would have had enough pace to make the pass.”

Verstappen had also pushed Norris wide at the first corner of the race in a move that allowed eventual race winner Charles Leclerc to scamper up the inside and into the lead.

That incident was dismissed despite bearing resemblance to the move that earned the Dutchman a penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last season when fighting Leclerc on lap one, but Horner insisted: “We discussed this many, many times, it goes back to Niki Lauda making an impassioned plea to Charlie Whiting of just let them race.

“It was agreed then, for the first lap it used to be, now it’s very much the first corner, let them race and that was a classic case of that and they all know that.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38 battle into the first corner, followed by Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Given the gravity of the decision in the battle between both for the drivers’ title – and with Norris’s belief the verdict was rushed – Horner was asked whether he felt the stewards could have held a hearing post-race.

“I think it was a slam dunk and the problem is, again, we then have the arguments of you want the right people on the podium,” explained Horner.

“So you have this… It happened so many times that I actually think the stewards dealt with it pretty rapidly and decently.”

Lando Norris felt that the United States Grand Prix stewards were “rushing” to make a decision on his off-track pass on Formula 1 title rival Max Verstappen, stating that the outcome was “guessing” without driver input.

Norris was handed a five-second penalty for his pass on Max Verstappen at Turn 12, which was conducted while both drivers were off the road, and could not build up enough of an advantage to nullify the effect of the time deduction – which was given only on the final lap.

This ensured Verstappen took third in the final race results, which extended his points lead to Norris to 57 points with five rounds left.

Speaking about the process the stewards went through to reach a conclusion, Norris reckoned that the decision showed “inconsistency” with others and that the situation needed the drivers’ input to fully compute.

“I think there’s again inconsistency, but it’s tough. For me, it’s just a rushed decision and they don’t hear or understand our points, which they should do after the race,” Norris explained.

“They just want to make a decision at the time so you don’t alter points, but therefore it’s a rushed decision and they don’t hear my point of discussion or my team’s point or Max’s point.

“I don’t think it’s maybe the most correct thing, but today it was a penalty and there’s not a lot I can do apart from just accept that. I tried, we both tried, it was a great battle.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38 battles with Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

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“I really enjoyed it. It was tough. Max drove very well and defended very well. He ended up on top, so congrats to him.

“I don’t think you can appeal this kind of penalty, which is again a silly thing because they’re just guessing and I don’t think that’s how stewarding should be done. But it’s a difficult job for them to do, so I’m not complaining against them.

“I think it’s just more the fact they don’t see everything, understand everything as well as we do when we’re inside the car. That’s it.”

Asked if Verstappen had been ‘over the top’ in his defending, Norris said that his title rival was committing to corners with a lot of speed – and this something he was attempting to match.

He related his own pass to that of Verstappen into Turn 1, where he appeared to put Norris off the road and kept position without further ramifications, and questioned why incidents into the first corner were treated differently.

“I think both times Max went off the track. He had a lot of commitment to keep me behind.

“The thing is with Max, you’ve got to commit – people don’t understand that kind of thing. With Max, you can’t just go half-hearted.

“Turn 1 is a bit harder to say whether it was because I didn’t commit enough, but the fact [is] that he committed so much speed in that he again went off the track.

“I can’t just dive up the inside of someone, run off and then keep the position in normal running, but for some reason it’s completely OK on Turn 1 of lap one. It’s a tough one. I don’t know. It hurts today.”

Takamoto Katsuta has explained why he was able to make a strong World Rally Championship comeback at the Central European Rally after being benched.   

The Japanese driver rejoined the Toyota squad for the penultimate round of the season last weekend following a shock decision by the team to bench its full-time driver for last month’s trip to South America.

The decision from the team came after the Acropolis Rally which marked a sixth consecutive result outside of the top five for Katsuta.

The 31-year-old says missing Chile was one of his toughest career moments but he was quickly able to put that behind him at the Central European Rally with a fine run to fourth, including two stage wins.

The five-time WRC podium finisher marked an impressive comeback under pressure by scoring the maximum 12 Super Sunday points for topping the Sunday classification and winning the Power Stage. The points haul could prove crucial for Toyota in its fight with Hyundai for the manufacturers’ title. 

Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Katsuta believes he wouldn’t have been able to achieve this if it wasn’t for the support from within the team and all the people around him. 

One of the areas Katusta has worked on to fine tune his driving is his pacenotes, by removing unnecessary extra detail that can be harder to process at speed.

“It was big, big pressure before this rally. It was such a difficult moment I’ve had in the last few months and maybe the start of the season, and of course last month was the toughest moment,” he said.

“But I had really strong support from the team and all the people around me. This is one of the reasons I was able to come back stronger. 

“There is massive support from my engineers and my team-mates like Kalle [Rovanpera], Seb [Ogier] and Elfyn [Evans] calling me and messaging me, there has been big support.

“Of course it is easy to say afterwards. It is hard to say [if the decision to miss Chile was correct] as it was really tough moment. I had time to think a lot and I was able to concentrate and do the job.”

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala labelled Katsuta’s Central European Rally display “superb” as his Sunday points haul helped Toyota’s manufacturers’ title bid after Sebastien Ogier crashed out of the victory battle.

“I have to say massive thanks to Taka. He had an excellent performance and also a very good performance from Elfyn [Evans, who finished third] they both saved us in this situation and we are still in the game for the manufacturers’ championship,” Latvala told Motorsport.com. 

“Taka has been really superb and on Thursday he had quite a bit of pressure and was quite nervous coming back to the car after a one-month break. 

“You could see he was a little bit cautious, then he was lifting up the speed and then he did a fastest time, but when it was tricky he took it easy. 

“He was growing and this is exactly the way we want him to take because we know his speed but the problem before is Taka has been trying to lift up the speed too quickly and now he was progressively building that. It was starting to come naturally.”

The Australian Grand Prix weekend had it all. There was the usual wild Phillip Island weather, which led to a cancelled session on Friday but at least it didn’t interfere with the schedule as it had in 2023.

Marc Marquez overcame yet another self-inflicted drama – this time a tear-off getting stuck beneath his tyre at the start – to win what has to rank as the most satisfying grand prix of his first season on a Ducati. He beat Jorge Martin in a genuine duel, complete with place-swapping to thrill those who had braved the chilly weather and travelled to the island.

With Martin winning the sprint on Sunday, and Francesco Bagnaia emerging with a relatively modest fourth and third from the sprint and grand prix respectively, the gap between Martin and Bagnaia has doubled to 20 points.

Here are seven things we learned from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

1. Marc Marquez keeps getting better

Marquez took another win despite a mardy start and his year-old machinery

Photo by: Red Bull / Gold and Goose

The victory at Aragon at the start of September was an emotional one for Marquez. It was his first on a Ducati, after several months of trying – and it came at home in Spain. But it wasn’t entirely unexpected, given it was a low-grip circuit that suited the Marquez package. Nor was any elbow-to-elbow fighting required to seal it, as he rode clear of the field.

When he won next time out at Misano, it was a tailor-made situation for the eight-time world champion. Uncertain weather is exactly what the Gresini rider wants in order to challenge the latest GP24 machines. And that’s what he got when it spat with rain in Italy. He even admitted he wouldn’t have won without the weather factor.

But Phillip Island? A challenging test of rider skill, yes, but a track that had been resurfaced. Nobody was complaining about a lack of grip on the Australian GP weekend. And although the weather did interfere with the untimed sessions, it was dry for Practice, Q2 and the races.

Marquez also had to conquer a powerful rival in wheel-to-wheel combat to win in Australia. Martin, remember, had secured pole position by over half a second on Saturday. And Marquez had had to concede defeat to him after misjudging the first corner in the sprint.

But come Sunday, not even dropping to 13th – after inflicting a terrible getaway on himself by throwing a tear-off under his tyre – could keep Marquez down. Looking after rubber was a factor in the grand prix, and most riders would not have managed to battle through the field and still have the tyre life left to take it to the championship leader at the back end of the race.

But Marquez found a way, winning a straight fight around the ultimate riders’ circuit. For this reason, the Australian GP has to go down as the most satisfying and impressive of his three wins this season.

The way he’s trending, things could be a real yawn if Marquez ever gets both his qualifying and his starts right on the same weekend.

2. Jorge Martin is better than he thinks he is

Martin may show his emotions publically but his speed on track cannot be doubted

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

For an elite sportsman, Pramac Ducati rider Martin is unusually candid in talking about his doubts in public. When you’re involved in a battle at the very peak of any discipline, the time-honoured approach is to keep negative stuff to yourself. To pretend you’ve got it all in hand and never show any weakness to your rival or rivals.

Two weeks ago in Japan, Martin said he was worried about the prospect of rain at Motegi. The downpours never came, but on the same weekend he also admitted to “riding like a rookie” and to copying the maestro Marquez after following him in the sprint.

Then, in Australia, when facing routine questions about the run-in to the championship, he said there were still “three races in which to make mistakes”. Again, while mistakes have indeed been a feature of this year’s title fight with Bagnaia, a top sportsperson usually dwells on the positives and the best-case scenario. Especially when their foe is sitting right next to them.

After his sprint win at Phillip Island, Martin was also happy to tell media – and so his competition – that he had to fight to maintain his concentration whilst leading, unthreatened, from start to finish. Somehow you can’t imagine him being selected to the Spanish national poker team.

Martin’s continued openness about these matters probably contributes to what Pedro Acosta has called a “lack of spice” between the title rivals. It’s hardly gladiatorial when the protagonists are sitting down to share their feelings and doubts in front of an audience.

Spicy or otherwise, it’s easy to interpret statements like this from Martin as a sign of psychological weakness. And yet there’s little evidence of that in his performances. Indeed, his results suggest that all sportspeople grapple with the same doubts – Martin just says them out loud.

Because regardless of Martin sometimes sounding a little negative or defeatist, he keeps on going out there and delivering results. A qualifying crash in Japan aside, he raced superbly on both days. And he was sublime in Australia, scorching to pole with no serious errors all weekend.

Either Martin has a special ability to switch off his doubts when the visor comes down, or he’s so good he can deliver in spite of them.

3. Francesco Bagnaia has much to ponder

Bagnaia’s title hopes are now hanging in the balance as time runs out to close the gap

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Speaking of doubts, these are not something Bagnaia is in the habit of revealing. But after Australia, he wouldn’t be human if there weren’t a few lurking in his mind.

It must surely be frustrating to watch Marquez and Martin find the limit so quickly and be unable to do the same. Friday provided a graphic illustration of that, as the cancellation of FP1 and dark clouds above the track at the start of Practice meant riders had to attack for lap times without any chance to explore the resurfaced Phillip Island track.

Marquez responded magnificently, dominating the session from the green flag. And Martin was always a step ahead of Bagnaia, even after being derailed by an early fall. And when Saturday’s FP2 was damp, the analytical double world champion seemed to fall even further behind, going the wrong way on set-up.

Without proper practice time, Australia snowballed into a tough weekend by Bagnaia’s standards. Fourth in the sprint and third in the grand prix saw him slip from a 10-point deficit to a 20-point disadvantage in the title race.

With one of his weaker tracks behind him, Bagnaia talked up his chances of hitting back in Thailand and Malaysia over the next two weekends. While he’s right to point out that he’s “very fast” at Buriram and Sepang, there isn’t anything in the form book to suggest Martin will not be the same. Indeed, it was Martin who won in Thailand last year.

While Martin might be his main preoccupation for the rest of this year, it may also have crossed Bagnaia’s mind that he’ll be sharing a garage – and the latest equipment – with Marquez next year. It’s not a thought many racers would relish right now.

4. Pedro Acosta is a little imp

Acosta was in a playful mood during the pre-weekend press conferences

Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo

KTM’s sensation was as ordinary in Australia as he had been outstanding in Japan. Perhaps daunting Phillip Island is one track where even a talent like his needs a bit of dry track time if it’s their first visit on a MotoGP bike.

Acosta certainly had pace when he could string it together, but running off the road in Practice on Friday cost him a spot in Q2. Then he got the timing of his final run wrong on a drying circuit in Q1, and was condemned to a lowly grid slot of 15th. A fall in the sprint put him out of action for the grand prix on Sunday, rounding off a solid thump back to earth after mixing it with the big boys at Motegi.

Acosta’s finest performance of the weekend, then, was probably his contribution to the Thursday press conference involving Bagnaia and Martin. Invited by video link to contribute a question precisely because of his comments around a lack of “spice” between the Ducati pair, Acosta thought for a while and then asked if “the manufacturer will influence this championship battle”.

Coming from a KTM rider who has never been in contention for the title, it was a gratuitous attempt to stir the pot. Credit should go to Dorna for allowing the impish question – perhaps even MotoGP’s promoters agree with Acosta’s view of the protagonists. And to Acosta for asking it.

Martin, for the record, did not offer any firm denial that Ducati would contemplate such a thing.

5. It’s hard to stay patient with Jack Miller

Miller is a favourite on the MotoGP grid, but how long can his form be defended?

Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo

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A popular rider is always harder to criticise and can be defended to a disproportionate degree by adoring media who wish a good bloke no ill. Particularly when there are more English-speaking journalists than there are native English-speaking riders, of which Jack Miller is one of only two.

Racing in front of his home fans in Australia, however, Miller fell twice in practice on Friday, qualified 16th and then fell off in the sprint. He then rounded off the weekend with an 11th place in the grand prix.

Yes, the local wildlife had a part to play in Miller’s misfortunes this weekend (see below). And yes, his was a better Aussie GP than that of fellow KTM rider Acosta. And yes, Acosta actually falls off more. But Acosta is a rookie and he’s with a satellite team.

Yes, Miller has been battling some extraordinary difficulties with the bike. But his stablemate Brad Binder has the same package, and he’s got 192 points to Miller’s 71. He lies fifth in the standings whilst Miller is 14th.

Valid though the reasons for his results may well be, one thing’s for sure: if Miller’s fans and defenders have a patience threshold at all, the Australian is surely getting dangerously close to hitting it.

6. We need more tracks like Phillip Island

Phillip Island is an outlier on the MotoGP calendar

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez said after Sunday’s thrilling grand prix that Phillip Island is an exception in terms of the quality racing it provides. As if we needed reminding!

The stop-start circuits that make up most of the calendar are the problem, according to Marquez. With the aero MotoGP bikes now run, these tracks aren’t a good fit for bikes being able to follow each other or, if that goes well, overtake each other.

Hopefully, the new rules coming in for 2027 will go a long way towards addressing a problem everybody understands. Still, a few more Phillip Islands on the schedule would only help the cause. They’re fundamentally more exciting anyway.

Granted, there aren’t a lot of those around any more. At least not so many that meet safety requirements. What a shame Assen got chopped in half. Long live Silverstone and Mugello. And Brno’s return to the schedule next year should be a positive.

We witnessed the aero effect at its worst at Motegi two weeks ago. Surely it’s time for a solution to be found that could bring Suzuka back into consideration for the Japanese round?

And let’s not forget that although Hockenheim has also been chopped in half, good old power circuits haven’t entirely disappeared. Tracks like the Salzburgring used to deliver exciting action of a different kind – pure slipstreaming duels. The quirky little Salzburgring is still with us. Moreover, it’s in Red Bull’s backyard…

7. Aussie animals wield power over results

The wildlife often gets involved with the racing in Australia

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

On Friday, track action at Phillip Island was twice stopped as Cape Barren geese decided to go for a walk across the circuit. Martin also had a very near miss with a rabbit that clearly didn’t look left and right before crossing.

On Saturday, Miller took an unfortunate seagull for on a free ride around the thrilling sweeps of the Victorian classic during the sprint. It was, as the Aussie noted, “not ideal”.

By pure strokes of luck, none of these incidents had a significant impact on the result of the race or the world championship. But the grand prix on Sunday was a clear reminder that Australian wildlife in particular can have a material impact on outcomes.

The beast that landed on Marquez’s visor was ‘only’ a large insect, but it was enough to have the Spaniard reaching for a tear-off just before the start. This ruined his start as it got stuck beneath the rear tyre. Had it been any other rider than Marquez, it would probably have succeeded in ruining his race as well.

Nobody wants clashes with animals at a racing circuit. Bagnaia remarked that “something should be done” but Australia knows all too well that you can’t fence in rabbits. It’s also hard to legislate against flying creatures. Realistically, wildlife will remain an occupational hazard at Phillip Island – and one that may even decide a title one day.

Will Marquez continue his form to the end of the season?

Photo by: Dorna

Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix has added Duracell to its partner roster, with the battery company sponsoring one of the street circuit’s DRS zones.

Duracell says its copper and black colours will be “prominently displayed” throughout the Las Vegas Strip’s DRS zone, which is the first bespoke sponsorship of its kind since the overtaking device was introduced in 2011.

The activation will consist of LED panels on a gantry spanning the track, trackside signage and rooftop branding.

“Partnering with Duracell showcases the ultimate intersection of innovation and power,” said Brendan Dolby, Vice President of Commercial Partnerships for F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. “This first-of-its-kind collaboration reflects our dedication to delivering cutting-edge, high-performance experiences throughout our circuit.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Duracell already has a presence in F1 through its sponsorship of the Williams team, which began in 2022. Duracell branding features on the airbox of the Williams FW46 car driven by Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto and on the team’s attire.

The US-based battery manufacturer has also placed a heavy emphasis on off-track marketing, including a host of TV commercials in North America, Europe and Latin America, and off-track activations at various grands prix.

As part of the campaign, the rear wing DRS flaps on Williams’ F1 cars and the DRS activation button on the steering wheel will be painted in Duracell colours.

“Duracell is helping to power Williams Racing’s transformation in pursuit of future championship success and the partnership exemplifies our commitment to innovative and effective activations,” Williams Racing’s Commercial Director James Bower added. 

“We’re proud to support Duracell in its collaboration with the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a take-over of the DRS flap, giving the team a powerboost every time the drivers press the iconic copper button.”