Verstappen SLAMMED with FIA penalty after Norris collision

Max Verstappen was hit with a hefty penalty after the stewards held him responsible for the race-altering collision with Lando Norris.

The pair made contact on lap 64 having battled fiercely for the lead since a slow pit stop 12 laps earlier had thrust Verstappen into Norris' crosshairs.

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The top two in the championship almost came to blows on numerous occasions before their eventual crash, with Norris unhappy with what he thought were illegal late defensive moves by the Dutchman.

The Brit had tried to overtake on the inside of turn three twice, but once found the road blocked and then went too deep trying to pass. The next time a move was attempted, it left both drivers scrambling to recover their cars to the pit lane.

Verstappen penalty but Norris worse off

Norris gained the slipstream once more on lap 64, and this time opted for the outside of turn three to try and make his move.

Verstappen moved left to try and cover the move, but Norris was squeezed right to the limit and his front right made contact with the rear left of the Red Bull, which was immediately punctured.

The stewards were not impressed with this defence, and gave Verstappen a ten-second time penalty as well as two penalty points for causing a collision.

Handing out the penalty, the stewards wrote: "Before turning in, the driver of Car 1 [Verstappen] moved to the left, causing a collision with Car 4 [Norris].

"The stewards determine that the driver of Car 1 was predominantly at fault."

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Norris also suffered a puncture and both limped back to the pits. The McLaren driver parked up, out of the race, whilst Verstappen returned to the race in P5.

That fifth-placed finish meant Verstappen was able to extend his championship lead over Norris to 81 points.

It was the other McLaren who did end up on the podium, Oscar Piastri coming home in P2 behind George Russell and ahead of Carlos Sainz.

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