Lando Norris’ comfortable Qatar GP outing faced a frustrating setback when he received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow down under double yellow flag conditions.
Many have labeled the punishment harsh because Norris simply didn’t have enough time to react. Haas’ reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi, however, decided to look from the FIA’s point of view. “I do see why they do it though because it’s a safety thing,” the Brazilian said on the F1 Nation podcast.
“If there’s a yellow flag, they want to make sure that the drivers don’t take any chance of risk of just going a little bit too quick,” he added. “Because then it becomes a safety hazard because you know, maybe someone crashed so that’s why you need to slow down. So I think that’s why they made it so aggressive,”
: “In the application of the penalty I think we have lost any sense of proportion”
McLaren’s Andrea Stella comments on Lando Norris’ penalty.#F1 #QatarGP
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) December 1, 2024
Norris, who had been running close to race leader Max Verstappen during the first half of the race, saw his hopes for a strong finish vanish. The penalty dropped him down the order, and he eventually crossed the line in a disappointing 10th place, scoring just 2 points, including the fastest lap of the race.
Although Fittipaldi’s point could be seen as valid, the severity of the punishment was questionable. Andrea Stella supported penalizing his driver but strongly criticized the extent. “We have lost any sense of proportion, and any sense of specificity,” the McLaren boss said.
Debate on inconsistent penalties rages on
Norris, understandably disappointed by the outcome of the race, apologized to McLaren for ruining what could have been a good haul of points for the team, inching them closer to winning the constructors’ championship. However, he also admitted to his team that he simply didn’t notice the yellow flags in time.
Wooow… Lando Norris’s 10-second stop-and-go penalty wasn’t for the incident shown in the replay.⚠️
One lap earlier (Lap 29), there was indeed a yellow (flashing panel & then green panel) – but it came so late that Lando couldn’t react. How can you award a… pic.twitter.com/jkYajYUZz3
— Maxx | F1newsletter.com (@F1_Newsletter) December 1, 2024
Alex Jacques, who was in the commentary box for F1TV alongside David Coulthard and Jolyon Palmer, later highlighted on the podcast that his colleagues were in disbelief at just how harsh the penalty was. Norris essentially lost close to 30 seconds of race time, and to make matters worse, he wasn’t allowed to change his tires while serving the penalty.
This incident has once again highlighted the inconsistency of stewarding decisions in F1. Many believe penalties need to be clearer and more proportional to the offense, particularly when they can influence the outcome of a race or even a championship.
McLaren, who seemed poised to extend their lead over Ferrari to more than 40 points, now holds a slim 21-point advantage heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
