McLaren has officially requested an investigation into the 10-second penalty handed to Lando Norris during the Qatar Grand Prix, a decision which relegated the Briton from second to tenth place.
During the Qatar Grand Prix, Lando Norris (second before the penalty) was sanctioned by the race direction for not having slowed down under yellow flags. At this point in the race, a wing mirror of Alex Albon's Williams came loose and was in the middle of the straight along the pit lane.
This sanction cost McLaren valuable points in its fight with Ferrari for the title of World Constructors' Champion. The Woking team is now 21 points ahead of the Italian firm, but could have left Qatar with an even greater margin. Everything will be decided during the final round next weekend in Abu Dhabi.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella insisted the penalty “lacked specificity and proportion” and that she risked having “consequences”, in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
“I agree that, in checking the data, Lando has not slowed down”, Andrea Stella said.
“But the lack of specificity and proportion is very worrying, and it is also a factor that could have a decisive impact on the championship quest.”
“This is something that the FIA should consider very seriously if we want fairness to be part of Formula 1 competition. This is an important matter.”
Also read: FIA justifies controversial decisions after chaotic Qatar Grand Prix
Will the FIA review its decision?
Stella confirmed that McLaren is asking F1 governing body the FIA to review the sanction.
“We expect that this case of applying such a severe penalty will be reviewed by the FIA, and there is certainly, in our view, room for improvement once the FIA takes the opportunity to open a review of its operations and application of the penalty”, he added.
“For the rest, we do not want to comment. We trust the FIA in terms of its decisions, in terms of when you put someone in a certain role – that’s the job of the FIA.”
“For us, we have expressed that we expect this to be the case to be looked at. We don’t have the elements to judge, so we simply trust the institution that is there to do this kind of work”concluded the McLaren team director.
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