This is quite simply the heaviest possible sanction for a driver before the black flag. On Sunday, Lando Norris suffered a 10-second stop-and-go penalty (i.e. a trip to the pits and a 10-second stop without intervention by the mechanics on the car) in the second half of the race, during the Qatar Grand Prix . On the 30th lap, the British driver did not slow down despite the presence of a double yellow flag on the start-finish straight, agitated because of the presence of debris on the track with Alexander Albon's mirror blown up by the passage of Valtteri Bottas.
Lando Norris immediately applied his sanction – he only had three laps to meet it in any case – and left dead last. However, thanks to a fantastic pace on the hard tires, he managed to climb up to 10th place and score two points (with the point for the best lap) essential for the Manufacturers' championship. If he apologized to his team for this error which could cost McLaren dearly in its duel with Ferrari, Andrea Stella castigated the decision of the commissioners which he considers excessive.
Three precedents before the Norris case
“In the application of the penalty, I think we have lost all sense of proportion and all sense of specificity, McLaren's Team Principal told Sky Sports F1 after the race at Losail. Can we look specifically at the offense, the level of danger associated with the situation – and, in fact, the yellow flag was removed – and then judge, using that kind of evidence, the proportion and the specificity rather than take note of any regulation, probably dusty, and apply it without any critical sense. From this point of view, I think the FIA has the opportunity to do better. »
Unfortunately, for Andrea Stella, the commissioners – this time – respected the regulations to the letter in this case. Indeed, failure to respect the double yellow flags (according to article 2.5.5 paragraph B of the International Sporting Code) results in a stop-and-go penalty of 10 seconds and three penalty points on the driver's license. responsible. Several precedents exist: during the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Nikita Mazepin and Nicholas Latifi were guilty of this offense and received this heavy sanction. The same for Kimi Räikkönen during the Belgian Grand Prix in 2017. For his part, Lando Norris admitted his fault and did not contest the decision of the stewards. A heavy penalty, certainly, but severe, no.
READ ALSO> Norris apologizes to McLaren after his penalty: “I let them down”
