McLaren dealt major Lando Norris blow as FIA reject request after penalty

McLaren's attempt to overturn Lando Norris' penalty from the United States Grand Prix has been unsuccessful.

The team requested a "right of review", asking the stewards to re-examine the incident at turn 12 in Austin, where Norris received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while overtaking Max Verstappen in the final stages.

This penalty resulted in Norris being demoted behind his title rival, allowing Verstappen to extend his championship lead to 57 points.

Prior to the Mexican Grand Prix, Norris reiterated his belief that the penalty was unjust, stating that Verstappen, who also left the track, was only ahead at the apex due to late braking and had no intention of making the corner.

McLaren believed they had uncovered "a significant and new element that was unavailable to us at the time the decision was made", meeting the criteria for a right of review.

A video hearing with the stewards took place on Friday in Mexico City, and the FIA announced that evening that McLaren's claim had been rejected due to the absence of a "relevant new element".

McLaren's argument centred on their assertion that Norris had overtaken Verstappen before the braking zone, and therefore was not the attacking car, which was the basis for the stewards' decision.

After their bid was rejected, McLaren said in a statement: "We disagree with the interpretation that an FIA document, which makes a competitor aware of an objective, measurable and provable error in the decision made by the stewards, cannot be an admissible 'element' which meets all four criteria set by the ISC, as specified in Article 14.3.

"We will continue to work closely with the FIA to further understand how teams can constructively challenge decisions that lead to an incorrect classification of the race."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner voiced his opinion before the FIA's verdict, insisting that the stewards had made the correct decision and said McLaren were frequently taking aim at the reigning champions.

He said: "When you are running at the sharp end then everything comes under more scrutiny. McLaren are being quite vocal about many parts of our team, our car, stewards etc.

"There is a criteria it (the right of review) has to fill. Whether it fills that I am not sure, I don't think there is any new evidence.

"You have to trust in the process, the stewards are in a difficult position. I thought the calls they made were absolutely fair and right at the weekend. You can't overtake a car off the circuit."