Toto Wolff alleges pro-Max Verstappen "bias" in FIA stewardship after Lando Norris gets penalized at the F1 US GP

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff alleged a bias in decision-making from the FIA when it came to Max Verstappen. The F1 US GP got heated in the later stages when the Dutch driver was battling Lando Norris.

The battle continued for multiple laps but concluded when Lando Norris lined up Max Verstappen on the back straight for a move. The Dutch driver took the inside line and, as part of the defensive move, ended up overshooting the corner and went off. Norris, who was on the outside, also got pushed off the track.

Lando Norris, however, emerged ahead of Max Verstappen after the move and as he jumped him off track. With a handful of laps left, Norris was given a 5-second penalty after the FIA judged that the driver was behind Verstappen at the apex.

The move sparked outrage, with different views coming from different quarters. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who seemingly also saw something similar happen when George Russell was penalized for pushing off Valtteri Bottas, was unhappy with the decision and alleged that there was a bias when it came to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. He said (as quoted by Motorsport),

"He didn't get a penalty, and at the end, Lando got a penalty for being forced off and overtaking on the outside. I guess it is a bit biased decision-making."

Claiming that the decision-making was 'inconsistent', Wolff further added:

"It is inconsistent. With Valtteri, it wasn't even a race. [In the sprint] we saw a few of those incidents that were exactly the same and weren't penalised when racing for positions, real positions actually. So receiving that penalty is completely odd and bizarre. I think we know why, but I can't say that on television."

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Max Verstappen refused to elaborate on his incident with Lando Norris

Max Verstappen opted not to comment on his incident with Lando Norris during the post-race scrum with Jenson Button. The Red Bull driver had a somewhat less-than-impressive outing considering he had gone into the race as one of the favorites.

Verstappen still ended up securing a podium in the F1 US GP as he fended off Lando Norris in the end, finishing P3 behind the Ferrari duo of Sainz and LeClerc. Talking about the incident during the post-race conference, Verstappen said,

"I have my opinion but I don't need to say it here. I let the stewards do their thing. For us, it was a race we learned a lot and we will analyze that."

It would be interesting to see what is in store for the Dutch in the upcoming race in Mexico on October 28. The Red Bull driver has extended his lead in the championship to 57 points, making it even harder for Lando Norris to now make it a title battle.