AO by TF was one of several teams to secure an automatic invitation for the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours after it won the overall title in this year’s European Le Mans Series.

The Tom Ferrier-led squad secured the entry for the next edition of Le Mans after Jonny Edgar, Robert Kubica and Louis Deletraz finished second in 4 Hours of Portimao, the European Le Mans Series season finale, behind the race-winning Cool Racing entry of Lorenzo Fluxa, Ritomo Miyata and Malthe Jakobsen.

In a grandstand conclusion to a tightly-contested season, two of the championship battles were decided on the very last lap of the race.

A drive-through penalty for United Autosports for contact with Panis Racing gifted Cool the lead. Miyata and then Jakobsen did not relinquish it, winning the race by 2.4 seconds.

It made the Cool Racing trio the first repeat overall winners in the six-round championship, having also claimed the Barcelona season opener back in April.

Second place for AO by TF was enough for Spa winners Edgar, Kubica and Deletraz to be crowned champions as nearest rivals Inter Europol Competition finished fourth.

The title is Edgar’s first in endurance racing since making the switch from single-seaters, it’s a second for Kubica (who won the 2021 title with Deletraz) and a third for Deletraz in four years. Also, it marked a second consecutive success for Kubica and Deletraz together after they claimed the final LMP2 title in the World Endurance Championship last year with WRT.

Inter Europol, meanwhile, was left disillusioned by the outcome of the finale, pointing to a improper 10-second pitstop penalty as key to its defeat. It was initially handed to Sebastian Alvarez, Tom Dillmann and Vlad Lomko for an alleged Virtual Safety Car infringement. That was eventually rescinded, but only after it had already been served. This, crucially, put the Polish-flagged squad behind AO by TF – a setback they would not overcome.

“They rescinded the penalty two minutes after we had already taken it,” said Dillmann. “I find it shameful at this level when you are going for the championship.”

#43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA crew was left disgruntled with fourth

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

However, the Polish-entered squad would still secure an automatic invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2025 in P2, along with AO by TF, and the champions of LMP2 Pro-Am and LMP3.

These were also decided at Portimao, each in decidedly dramatic fashion.

AF Corse successfully retained its crown in LMP2 Pro-Am after a bold strategic attempt at an upset from Algarve Pro Racing was only foiled on the last lap.

APR’s Alex Quinn tried to significantly extend his final fuel stint to grab the class win that would have landed a shock title together with Richard Bradley and Kriton Lendoudis.

However, Quinn was overtaken by Proton Competition’s Bent Viscaal on the final lap, which in turn gave AF Corse drivers Matthieu Vaxiviere, Alessio Rovera and Francois Perrodo the crucial two-point advantage to seal the title by finishing fourth in class.

The Italian squad was put in that position thanks to the efforts of Vaxiviere, who had fought his way past Richard Mille by TDS’s Mathias Beche in a battle that had seen the two repeatedly come to blows. The Alpine Hypercar driver duly defended the crown he had won in 2023 alongside Perrodo.

Even more dramatic was the conclusion to the LMGT3 championship battle, which wasn’t decided until the very final corner.

It was then that Iron Lynx Lamborghini driver Andrea Caldarelli passed stablemate Michelle Gatting (Iron Dames) for the lead, in a move that looked like it might have been orchestrated.

Iron Lynx claimed LMGT3 title

Photo by: Iron Lynx

That was because the scenario played out in such a way that Caldarelli, Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Axcil Jefferies required a win to deny fifth-placed trio Takeshi Kimura, Esteban Masson and Daniel Serra (Kessel Racing Ferrari) the title and a Le Mans LMGT3 class entry.

In LMP3, meanwhile, a late-race charge meant RLR M Sport driver Gael Julien rose past both of his direct championship rivals from Eurointernational and Team Virage to finish second behind outgoing champions Cool Racing, securing the title for himself, Michael Jensen and Nick Adcock in the process.

ELMS Portimao Race Results

Mercedes has denied there is a “fundamental” problem with its Austin Formula 1 upgrade and plans to stick with it for this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The German manufacturer introduced a raft of aero changes for its W15 at the United States Grand Prix, but endured a tough weekend where both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton struggled with car characteristics.

And with the pair of them suffering costly near-identical spins at Turn 19 – Russell crashing off in qualifying and Hamilton putting himself out of the race – there were suggestions that the car developments had perhaps triggered some aero instability.

Hamilton himself reckoned that the upgrades could be to blame for the incidents, as he said the team needed to review whether or not to stick with them for this weekend’s race in Mexico.

But reflecting on the weekend, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the problems that were encountered were not to do with the upgrade and were instead more based around the ride of the car on the bumpy track.

“I don’t think we have a fundamental issue on the upgrade, very much,” he said. “My thinking is it’s more interaction on aero and on mechanical stuff.

“Therefore we’re going to continue with the upgrade. It makes no sense to not, because there’s a lot of lap time you leave on the table.

“However, on the other side, you need to be very open-minded. George drove the July upgrade [in the race] because we didn’t have the [new] floor, and that seemed pretty competitive.”

George Russell, Mercedes W15

Photo by: Andreas Beil

While Mercedes plans to stick with its upgrade, the squad remains tight on spare parts after Russell’s qualifying crash.

And with only one of the new floors undamaged following that incident, the team looks set to split packages in Mexico.

“Clearly, we will be missing the floor that needs to go back to the UK and then be repaired for Brazil,” added Wolff. “So we’ll be running the spare specification. 

“With Lewis, normally he would have all the parts, but I’m not 100% sure that he’s keen on running that. So we’re going to find out how we want to tackle that weekend.” 

Wolff thinks the key thing that Mercedes needs to understand from what happened in the United States was why it was quick on Friday, with Hamilton having been fast enough for sprint pole, and then faded for the rest of the weekend.

“We need to get on top of why do we have a car that on Friday is by far the quickest, before the [Franco Colapinto situation [with the yellow flag]. Lewis was four tenths up and he would have been quickest.

“Then on a Saturday, it’s transformed. In the sprint race, we had a broken suspension. That’s one explanation. We fixed that in qualifying, but nothing would go anymore, and we struggled to have pace.

“Then in the race was the incident [for Hamilton] in that corner that came out of nowhere. He was not pushing at all. And where I sit at the moment, it’s 100% not Lewis’s fault.”

Formula E will run an all-female session during its official pre-season test for the 2024-25 campaign in November.

It has been organised to help accelerate the growth of women drivers in world championship single-seater machinery and will be the second time the all-electric series has held a female test after Diriyah in 2018.

For that session in Saudi Arabia, teams were only allowed to start with two cars if one was driven by a woman, which resulted in nine female racers taking part.

In 2024, all 11 teams are mandated to run at least one female driver, but encouraged to field two in the latest Gen3 Evo cars which are set to make their debut in the upcoming season.

Jeff Dodds, Formula E CEO, said: “We know there isn’t a simple solution for greater diversity in motorsport.

“If we’re going to truly give women equality, opportunity and visibility in our series, however, conditions for all need to be the same to aid their development and test themselves against those already on the starting grid.

“Unlike other series where women drivers have to use old or restricted machinery, they’ll be using the state-of-the-art Gen3 Evo car that accelerates 30% faster than an F1 car, just as our championship drivers do.

“We also recognise that one test will not solve the longstanding issue, but we have to start somewhere, knowing there is a long way to go and making sure we’re making proactive, consistent steps that continue to make forward progress.”

When is the Formula E all-female test?

Powell has tested for Envision several times but has never raced in Formula E

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Date: Thursday 7 November 2024
Start time: 1pm GMT/2pm local time

The Formula E all-female pre-season test will take place on Thursday 7 November 2024 and is scheduled to run for three hours, starting at 1pm in the United Kingdom and 2pm local time in Valencia.

It will be held at Formula E’s version of Circuit Ricardo Tormo, a 2.098-mile track on the outskirts of the Spanish city that was part of the championship’s 2021 calendar.

This will occur during pre-season testing on the 4-7 November. The afternoon session of the final day is exclusive to female drivers who will have already competed in a wide range of motorsport championships.

Formula E will stage this test ahead of its Sao Paulo season opener on the 7 December, where Pascal Wehrlein arrives as the defending champion having pipped two-time runner-up Mitch Evans to his maiden crown.

PLUS: The top 10 Formula E drivers of 2023-24

Who is competing in the Formula E all-female test?

There are eight drivers who have so far been confirmed for Formula E’s all-female test in November. Andretti was the first team to confirm its full line-up and that will consist of F1 Academy pair Chloe Chambers and Nerea Marti, who respectively sit fourth and fifth in that championship.

Chambers, 20, is currently affiliated with the Haas Formula 1 Team but will switch to representing the Red Bull Ford Academy Programme next season.

The American’s single-seater career dates back to 2021, where she contested the Formula 4 United States Championship. She has since progressed to W Series, the Formula Regional Oceania Championship and F1 Academy, winning this year’s second race in Barcelona.

Chambers is a race winner in F1 Academy, and will join Marti at Andretti

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Marti is also a race winner in the all-female series, as she won at Circuit Paul Ricard in 2023, yet this season the 22-year-old has three podiums but no victories. Her single-seater career goes back to 2019 with Spanish F4, with Marti also part of the W Series alumni.

McLaren was next to confirm a driver, as 19-year-old Ella Lloyd will drive for the British squad having recently joined its development programme. This comes after starting her career in 2022, where the Welsh driver competed in the Ginetta Junior Championship before progressing to Ginetta GTs the following year.

In 2024, Lloyd competed across various championships like the Formula Winter Series and British F4 before racing at F1 Academy’s Singapore round in September as a wildcard entry, where she finished ninth and seventh in the two races.

Lloyd will be partnered by Bianca Bustamante, who has been part of the McLaren Driver Development programme since October 2023. That came after an encouraging F1 Academy season in which the Filipino claimed two victories – Valencia and Monza – en route to seventh in the championship.

Envision Racing has also announced both its drivers, as Alisha Palmowski and Alice Powell will test for the British outfit. Palmowski is a BRDC Rising Star, having won the 2022 Ginetta Junior Scholarship before finishing runner-up in this year’s GB4 Championship.

The 18-year-old won on her GB4 debut at Oulton Park in March leading to her becoming one of the final 10 candidates for the 2024 Silverstone Autosport BRDC Award.

“My phone blew up [after the Oulton win],” she told Motorsport.com. “I’m still replying to messages now from that win. I had hundreds of notifications from people like Karun Chandhok and Susie Wolff. It’s nice to have my name on the map, people are noticing what I’m achieving now.”

Powell, meanwhile, is a racing veteran and the 31-year-old has been a Test and Development Driver for Envision since 2019.

Bustamante will continue McLaren affiliation from F1 Academy into Formula E test

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

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Porsche has also confirmed its line-up, which consists of 2023 F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia and Gabriela Jilkova.

Jilkova’s call-up was expected, as the 29-year-old is Porsche’s Development and Simulator Driver who completed 43 laps for the team in pre-season testing last year.

But Garcia is a surprise addition as the Spaniard, who contested the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship, drove for ERT – now known as Kiro Race Co – in May’s Berlin rookie test and was expected to once again join the recently acquired squad that will now use Porsche powertrains.

Has a woman ever competed in Formula E before?

Garcia has previous test miles with the ERT squad that has morphed into new Kiro Race guise, but will try out for Porsche in Valencia

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

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Three women have competed in a Formula E race since the all-electric championship began in 2014.

That year’s Beijing season opener saw Katherine Legge and Michela Cerruti become the first females to do so. Legge lined up alongside Takuma Sato for Team Aguri and finished 15th in a frustrating outing for the Briton, who received a drive-through penalty converted into 57s for crossing the white line at pit exit following the mid-race car swaps.

The Indianapolis 500 regular returned for the following round in Malaysia and came 15th again having received another penalty – this was a drive-through converted into 23s for causing an opening lap collision with Cerruti.

Legge was subsequently dropped ahead of the next race and the 44-year-old has predominantly raced in sportscars.

Cerruti, meanwhile, contested the opening four races of the 2014-15 campaign for the Trulli Formula E Team. The Italian finished 14th in Beijing and retired in Putrajaya following her collision with Legge, before placing a series-best of 12th in Uruguay.

She then retired from the following round in Argentina and was replaced by ex-F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi ahead of Miami. Following her Formula E stint, Cerruti contested the TCR International Series in 2016 and 2017 before focusing on management as the team principal of Alfa Romeo ETC outfit Romeo Ferraris.

Simona de Silvestro became the third female to compete in a Formula E race, as the Swiss-Italian joined Andretti for the final weekend of the championship’s debut year. She finished 11th and 12th in the two races in London before contesting a full campaign for the American squad the following season.

Silvestro finished 18th in the 2015-16 standings having scored points in Long Beach and Berlin, yet did not return the following year. Subsequently, the 36-year-old has competed in IndyCar, Supercars and GT Masters, while being a Formula E test driver for Venturi and Porsche too.

De Silvestro achieved a best result of ninth in Formula E after making her debut in London in the 2014/15 season finale

Photo by: Ralph Hardwick

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has slammed Red Bull Racing‘s front bib adjustment device as “outrageous”, as he suggested the FIA may yet look further into the matter.

Red Bull was at the centre of technical intrigue over the United States Grand Prix weekend after it emerged the FIA was ramping up monitoring of a system the Milton Keynes-based squad has to raise and lower its front bib height.

While the presence of the device, which has to be adjusted by a tool, is allowed, what would be against the regulations would be for it to be changed under parc ferme conditions.

That is why the FIA fitted a seal to it over the Austin weekend to ensure it was not altered between qualifying and the race. Furthermore, the team has promised to make more permanent changes to its car for later this season.

The FIA’s head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis says there is no indication that Red Bull used the device in the past, and so considers the matter closed. However, that may not necessarily be the end of the matter.

Wolff, whose team has battled Red Bull hard in the past, thinks that the situation is far from acceptable as he hinted that senior figures at the FIA – including its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – may yet be pressured to take things further.

Speaking about the Red Bull system, Wolff said: “My view is, from the distance of what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, it’s outrageous.”

Explaining more about why he felt that way, Wolff said that it was highly suspicious for Red Bull to have fitted such a complicated device to its car, simply to help change ride heights in practice sessions.

“I think we’re all designing parts that are F1 standard, and that are to the highest specifications that are within the regulations.

“Sometimes on things like aero elasticity, you would probably try to go as far as you can — but there’s other things overall and certain parts where you would question why they exist.”

He added: “Why would you design such a thing and put two marks on it for two positions, like you want to (change things)? Is that the precise decision-making [we have] in F1?”

Red Bull Racing RB20 front bib detail

Photo by: Andreas Beil

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A ‘Bugs Bunny’ tool

Wolff also suggested that Red Bull pulled off a charade in showing to the FIA a tool that it said was used to alter the device. He reckons that the settings could easily be altered in a much simpler way.

“I really like that when they put this real broom [device] in the car to demonstrate that that is the only way of that getting changed! I wonder how long it took them to make this up, and to stick it in there.”

One rival team has nicknamed the two-foot long socket that Red Bull showed the FIA a ‘Bugs Bunny’ device – because it seemed such a cartoon-type tool considering the sophistication levels normally expected in F1.

Wolff backed this idea. “I didn’t know that in F1, we were using such Bugs Bunny devices. It’s not good enough to say that this is it, and we promise that we are not going to do it again.”

And while Tombazis said over the United States Grand Prix weekend that he believed the matter was closed, Wolff does not think this will be the end of things.

“I cannot speak for the FIA at all. I cannot speak for Nikolas,” he said. “Obviously, that’s something that’s been not spotted for a long time.

“But I think the leadership of the FIA is going to look at that, and say, ‘What are we doing with this?’”

The ADAC has unveiled a brand new logo for the DTM as part of a revamped brand identity for the championship.

Designed in cooperation with sports branding agency UnitedSenses in Munich, the new logo was showcased to the public for the first time at last weekend’s Hockenheim finale and will come into effect immediately.

The new design features the yellow and black colours of the German automobile club ADAC, which bought the DTM from its previous owner the ITR at the end of 2022.

After the purchase, the ADAC implemented an updated version of the logo originally introduced by the ITR, but has given it another overhaul at the conclusion of the series’ 40th season.

In a statement, the ADAC said the logo will be accompanied by a “new broadcast and digital identity, and various design solutions for printed products and events will achieve a consistent branding for all brand experiences in the DTM.”

The ADAC also announced that the DTM will switch to 100 per cent synthetic and fossil-free fuel from 2025.

Start action

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Produced by P1 Fuels company and certified by the FIA, the switch to synthetically-made petrol will help the series cut down its carbon emissions by 75%.

P1 Fuels is already involved in motorsport and has experience supplying fully sustainable fuel to the World Rally Championship.

“We are now taking a significant step in the further development of the series and are strengthening the DTM’s role as a pioneer in the field of sustainability in motorsport,” said ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss.

“We are bringing greater sustainability to the DTM platform with a new, synthetic and climate-friendly fuel. In doing so, we are demonstrating the potential of synthetic fuels within one of the most popular racing series in Europe.

“We are also presenting the series with a dynamic look; a new brand image will give us a modern branding.”

Factory Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti was crowned the 2024 DTM champion after he finished second to Luca Engstler in Sunday’s final race at Hockenheim.

The next DTM season, the 41st in the championship’s history, will begin at Oschersleben on 26-27 April.

If you want to understand how brilliant – genius, even – a Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen is, watch exactly how he attacked Lando Norris at the start of the 2024 United States Grand Prix. And then ‘defended’ against him at the contest’s controversial conclusion.

This latest saga has frustratingly eclipsed the brilliant victory scored by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at Austin on Sunday. And the problem boils down to why both the Turn 1 and Turn 12 Verstappen vs Norris battles were essentially the same cynical tactic from the world champion.

Here rises the spectre of that 2021 campaign of campaigns – when Verstappen and his Red Bull squad fought Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes so bitterly. Given the tit-for-tat squabbling over ‘mini-DRS’ and bib-gate at McLaren and Red Bull respectively in the last two races, plus this being another season with multiple controversial racing clashes with the title protagonists, 2024 is firmly becoming a repeat.

Specifically here, however, it’s the 2021 Brazilian race that really matters. And how heading into Interlagos’ Turn 4 with Hamilton and his fresh engine grunt bearing down in arguably the Briton’s greatest ever F1 win, Verstappen steamed on with the inside line he’d taken in defence. Both flew into the runoff and the Red Bull remained ahead.

As with Interlagos, Verstappen’s onboard video feed at Austin was critically also broadcasting backwards – something to bear in mind when remembering how rapidly the stewards made this call. That’s something FIA sources insisted to Motorsport.com post-race is in line with what the teams have pushed for regarding stewarding decisions that impact podium appearances. Entertainment apparently trumps justice…

There are differences here to Brazil 2021 – but they matter. For Norris at Austin three years later, it’s how he did overtake off-track, but McLaren didn’t order him to give the place back and attack again.

Austin battle with Norris was reminiscent of Verstappen’s defence against Hamilton in the 2021 Brazilian GP that the Mercedes driver went on to win

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

When Motorsport.com asked him why not on Sunday night, team principal Andrea Stella explained that “on the pitwall and under my responsibility – but there was complete agreement by all the people involved in this interpretation – this situation did not need to be investigated”.

“If anything, we thought the investigation should be for Max pushing Lando off the track,” he added. “That’s what we thought was going to happen when we saw the case was under investigation. So, for us, there was no need to give back the position.”

For Hamilton in that Interlagos classic, he was able to pass at the same spot a short while later anyway and went on to win. Verstappen wasn’t even investigated in that case and here – in doing what the 2021 Mercedes couldn’t in a different runoff, Norris was penalised five seconds.

Although the speed specifics of Turn 4 Brazil and Turn 12 Austin are different, McLaren insiders are convinced that Verstappen’s manoeuvre here is of the same class as Brazil 2021

Motorsport.com also asked Stella, after he had stated “the defending car goes straight at the apex” for Verstappen at Austin Turn 12, if this was “Brazil 2021 all over again?”

“That was extreme because the speed of which Max missed the apex in Brazil,” he replied. “If you turned into Max, it was a big crash at the time. This one, it was a much slower speed so it could be a more benign situation. But it is just the fact – that you defend by going off the track? This cannot be permissible.”

But the Brazil point remains pertinent. After a little digging away from the dictaphones, it became clear that although the speed specifics of Turn 4 Brazil and Turn 12 Austin are different (plus the contrasting investigation/penalty outcomes), McLaren insiders are convinced that Verstappen’s manoeuvre here is of the same class as Brazil 2021.

Class is the key word. Because Verstappen is so good, it’s clear that after he raced Leclerc cleanly in the early 2022 contests, that a hiatus then ensued during the time he just had no opposition at the head of the pack for two years. In that time, he’s perfected essentially the same tactic. It now conforms with F1’s current racing rules and that is a huge problem.

All evidence points to Verstappen returning to tactics employed against Hamilton now he faces greater opposition

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar

Verstappen has shown yet again that he is willing to be completely ruthless to win – in this case extending his points lead over his title rival with the race victory already well lost. To a certain extent that is to be respected – applauded by some, no doubt. But it’s the cynicism of what’s happening repeatedly now that sours the taste of what was otherwise another brilliant F1 race this term. One with fantastic performances from multiple drivers.

The main dispute is how F1’s 2024 Driving Standards Guidelines (DSG) – a copy of which Motorsport.com has seen – just doesn’t cover what he’s doing. And that is: turning defence into attack. A la Brazil 2021. The point where cunning eases into crafty in a giant runoff area (and the lack of even a small gravel trap at Turns 1 or 12 at Austin is another, relevant, topic entirely here).

The DSG only cover – in 266 words and three quick sections – “Overtaking on the INSIDE of a corner” and “Overtaking on the OUTSIDE of a corner” (the capitals are the FIA’s). There’s an additional explanation for ‘chicanes and S-bends’, which doesn’t apply here.

When it comes to Norris’s penalty, the latter states that “to be entitled to be given room, including at the exit” the outside attacking car must have its front axle at least alongside at the apex and to the exit. Norris complies in this case, albeit from quite wide until he runs off track.

An outside attacking car must also be driven safely and controlled throughout such a move. No problem there for Norris. And it must be able to make the corner within track limits in these cases.

Here, GPS trace data becomes critical. Looking at the lap in question and the tour before, Norris brakes at the same point each time and made the corner, obviously, the first time – where Verstappen had jinked slightly less left that he soon would. The only car that braked later in all four points was Verstappen’s in the clash that had them both off the road.

Norris was penalised because he did overtake off the track. That it was “deemed to be a case of leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage” in the relevant FIA bulletin. The stewards noted that he was also “not level with Car 1 at the apex”.

But in adding “Car 4 had little alternative other than to leave the track because of the proximity of Car 1, which had also left the track” to explain why Norris was only given a five-second penalty and not 10, the argument for applying a sanction is totally undermined.

Norris did get ahead of Verstappen outside the track limits and could not pull away to negate his five-second penalty

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

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What happened was either the fair outcome or Verstappen should’ve been penalised. But Verstappen wasn’t – despite Stella saying McLaren was so convinced he would be it “told Oscar [Piastri, behind in fifth] immediately to make sure he closed within five seconds of Max because there could be a position at stake”. And that trace data suggests why.

In his defence, echoed by team boss Christian Horner, Verstappen only deflected in the post-race press conference, saying “it’s very clear in the rules: outside the white line, you cannot pass”. “I’ve been done for it as well in the past,” he added, referring to the 2017 US GP here.

There are sub-issues at play. When assessing every investigated clash, the stewards have the power to be discretionary and the guidelines are exactly that. They even say, “not binding”, just before the nebulous “racing is a dynamic process”.

That’s the genius of Verstappen’s moves. He’s forcing the issue by racing to the apex – so the original attacker either choses to crash or will lose out under the rules

Post-race at Austin, Mercedes’ George Russell also called for “the same stewards all year long” – another long-standing problem with F1’s rules. And Russell matters here because he was penalised for a very similar incident with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas at the same spot 39 laps earlier. The key difference: Russell was clearly attacking.

“By the letter of the law my penalty was correct,” the Briton explained.

The guidelines for overtaking on the inside, which is what Verstappen effectively ends up doing by braking later at Turn 12, contain three key requirements. The attacker must “have its front axle AT LEAST ALONGSIDE of the mirror of the other car no later than the apex of the corner”. Verstappen achieves this by braking later.

The attacker must also not force the other car off on exit in such a move and leave a “a fair and acceptable width” throughout. The attacker must stay also within track limits. Verstappen doesn’t comply with the last two points. But because the rules don’t cover attacking as a form of defence, all the responsibility still lies with Norris.

Race to the apex with Norris allowed Verstappen to exploit grey areas in racing rule guidelines

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

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That’s the genius of Verstappen’s moves. He’s forcing the issue by racing to the apex – so the original attacker either choses to crash or will lose out under the rules.

Crashing might even have been a better option for Norris last Sunday – and at Turn 1 for that matter – given it could’ve triggered a discretionary stewards call in the subsequent investigation, which surely would’ve heard from both drivers. McLaren is also incensed this didn’t happen in reality at Austin.

Overall, that’s appalling – not to mention how a DNF would impact Norris far more in the title standings as the chaser.

The FIA can help solve this problem. First, by publishing the guidelines. Why not make a show of it, as football does with VAR?

Second, it now needs to enforce another ‘Max Verstappen rule’. While the short-lived 2016 edition dealt with dubious moving under braking, the governing body must codify how turning defending into attacking is specifically legal and outlaws the race-to-the-apex dive art Verstappen has perfected. It should do this before the next race in Mexico.

Or, really, just scrap the guidelines entirely. Either way – they are being stunningly, cynically exploited currently. And that isn’t right.

Doing this would ease the cynicism fatigue plenty of F1 fans are feeling right now. That’s been turbocharged by 2024’s Horner behaviour scandal and all the squabbling over flexi-wings and other design ploys.

Ultimately, the list of these ‘Verstappen defence’ moves now reads: Brazil 2021, Jeddah 2021, Las Vegas 2023, Budapest 2024 (when Verstappen was actually the attacker at Turn 1 and runs into the ‘let them race’ lap one approach that came into effect at the Austin start too) and now this year’s US GP. Enough.

Verstappen’s start aggression ultimately cost track position to Leclerc, but cost Norris far more

Photo by: Andreas Beil