Toto Wolff has taken a firm stance in support of McLaren following the penalty that cost Lando Norris the chance to reduce the championship points gap in Sunday's Austin race.

Norris and Max Verstappen were engaged in an exciting battle for the final podium spot when Norris was penalized for exceeding track limits while overtaking Verstappen, resulting in a five-second penalty.

"That's the rule," Red Bull's Dr. Helmut Marko stated. "We insisted on our rights, generally I prefer the attitude 'Let them race'.

"But we have extended Max's lead by another five points, so we are more than satisfied. I think this is a turning point.

"We were not as good in the race as in the sprint, but in Baku we took the first step with the car, in Singapore the second, and here another one.

"The Ferraris were incredibly fast, but for us it was all about the fight with Norris. The world title is what we want and we have taken a big step towards that here. Of course, Max will want to win more races, but in the end only the title counts," Marko added.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella criticized the penalty, calling it "inappropriate." Surprisingly, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff went even further in his condemnation.

The Austrian suggested that the FIA may be favoring Red Bull with its decisions.

"In the sprint we saw some of these incidents that were exactly the same and there was no penalty," Wolff commented. "I see this penalty as just completely strange and bizarre.

"I think we know why, but I can't say it on TV. Just that sometimes there are correlations when it comes to interesting decisions like this."