VERSTAPPEN PENALTYCALL DRAWSCRITICISM

Laudalabelsit“worstdecisioni’veseen”

Mercedes boss Niki Lauda has slammed the fivesecond penalty given to Max Verstappen for leaving the track when passing Kimi Raikkonen in the US Grand Prix as the worst decision he has ever seen.

Verstappen was rapidly closing on Raikkonen in the latter stages of the race with the Ferrari struggling on significantly older tyres. On the final lap, Verstappen managed to squeeze ahead of Raikkonen on the inside of the Turn 17 right-hander. But the stewards ruled that he had all four wheels off the track and slapped him with a five-second penalty that dropped him to fourth.

Lauda said: “This decision is the worst I’ve ever seen, he did nothing wrong. We’re racing drivers, we’re not on a normal road, it’s ridiculous to destroy the sport with this kind of decision.

“Next strategy meeting we need to bring it up to the agenda and start it all over again, because we cannot do that, it’s going too far. There was nothing to interfere with, it was normal overtaking.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner agreed that the rules regarding track limits need to be looked at, citing the inconsistency of stewards applying penalties over the weekend.

“It [racing] is what fans want to see,” said Horner. “If you don’t want cars to go there, put a bigger kerb or put some gravel, or something else there.

“I think what is annoying is the lack of consistency. Where do you draw the line? For fans, for casual viewers, it needs to be clear.”

Verstappen said: “We had a really great race, but with those stupid decisions you really kill the sport. It’s one idiot steward up there which always makes decisions against me.

“At the end of the day everybody is running wide everywhere, there are no track limits.

“It’s the same with [Valtteri] Bottas – I went for a move, and he continued outside the track; he came back, I really had to pass him, and nothing has been done against that while he definitely gained advantage.

“It’s not good for the sport – they have to be really clear on the rules that it’s not allowed.”