Perez was forced wide onto the gravel at Turn 4 as he and Norris battled over seco✱nd place following an early Safety Car restart in Sunday’s race, with the Red Bull driver dropping down to 10th place.

Norris was handed a ꩲfive-second time penalty for the incident but was left baffled by the decision, which Horner a𒁏lso felt was simply “hard racing”.

“I think I said in the commentary that I didn't have a major p🦋roblem wജith the Lando move,” Horner told Sky F1.

“It was racing. It🌜 was hard racing. It was wheel-to-wheel, so then to get a penalty for that, I guess they gave themselves no choice when he had ♛the same with Charles.

“But that's racing. Otherwise, you're goingꦜ to get drivers just chucking themselves off the circuit and claiming penalties, so it's a bit disappointing. For me, that's hard racing.”

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl also disagreed with the penalty, adding: “It is at the beginning of the race and, in Michael Masi’s words, he wꦓould say you learn in karting already that if you go there yo🃏u will end up in the gravel.

“I think with the cars being side by side, I don’t think that is a penalty. But it is what it is, let’s focus on the positives. It was senꦯsational race and weekend from the team and Lando, and a sensational recovery from Daniel [Ricciardo]. I want to say a big thanks to everyone here at the track and at home.”

Perez later picked up two five-second time penalties for separate incidents with Charle𝓀s Leclerc, having forced the Ferrari drive༺r onto the gravel at Turn 4 and again at Turn 6 later in the race.