Christian Horner delivers ‘crystal clear’ verdict as he dissects thrilling Max Verstappen/Lando Norris scrap in Austin

Asked for his take on the situation post-race, Horner smiled: “How did I guess you were going to start with that? First of all, the racing between the two of them was competitive and great to watch.

“Obviously all the drivers know acutely what the rules are, they discuss these issues and particular corners in the briefings with the various stewards, driver stewards and the Race Director.

READ MORE: ‘I have my opinion’ – Verstappen reflects on ‘hard’ battle with Norris as McLaren driver penalised in Austin

“Look, the pass was made off the track. We’ve been on the receiving end of that here against Kimi [Raikkonen in 2017]. For us, it was crystal clear that the pass had been made off the track.

“[Norris] should have given the place back. He chose not to, so therefore there was a penalty. For us, it was very much a black and white scenario.”

Horner continued: “What I perhaps didn’t understand was it was clear there was going to be a penalty, or it looked pretty clear there was going to be a penalty, and with the car advantage and tyre advantage McLaren had at that point of the race…