“If I Knew It Was a Yellow…”: Lando Norris Argues His Innocence Against 10-Second Penalty in Qatar

The Drivers’ Championship got settled for good when Max Verstappen mathematically sealed his crown last weekend, but Lando Norris wasn’t ready to give up on a race win earlier today in the Qatar GP, against the Red Bull driver. Norris was right on his tail for most of the first half of the outing but on lap 30, he failed to slow down under a yellow flag which completely destroyed his evening.

Norris had to serve a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, after which he came out virtually last. He did recover somewhat to reach P10 by the end of the race. However, he insisted that he didn’t deserve to be in that position in the first place.

“I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. I’m not an idiot. If I knew it was a yellow I would’ve slowed down. But the rule says if you don’t slow down it’s a penalty,” the McLaren driver said after the race.

Penalties are not new, nor are they rare. But a stop-and-go—a 10-second one on top of that—is seldom used owing to the major ramifications it could have on a driver’s race. It basically means that a driver has to go into his pit box, stay stationary for 10 seconds, and then rejoin the race without the team being allowed to work on their car.

In Norris and McLaren’s case, it spoiled what could have been a championship-winning evening for the Woking-based squad. They started the race 30 points ahead of Ferrari in second place but ended up losing 11 points to the Maranello-based team.

To be fair to the stewards, Norris looked to be in the wrong, as pointed out by Jenson Button and David Croft during the broadcast. Failing to slow down under the yellow flag is considered a major breach of the safety regulations, and that’s why Norris was given the highest penalty deemed suitable.

Norris and Lewis Hamilton’s incidents highlight stewards’ inconsistency

The stewards had a busy outing in Lusail, handing out several penalties from the very start. Lewis Hamilton was the first recipient, penalized for a false start, which he committed by the slightest of margins.

That said, keen-eyed fans on social media spotted Norris doing the same thing. However, the McLaren driver was not investigated nor penalized by the Stewards. This has raged into a hefty debate about the inconsistencies shown by the FIA Stewards.

Hamilton’s race went from bad to worse after that. A pit lane speeding incident resulted in a drive-through penalty for the #44 driver, prompting him to plead with his team to end his misery and retire the car. Mercedes refused, and the Briton ultimately finished P12.

For Norris, however, the solitary point he earned could have been in jeopardy had the stewards penalized him for the same offense they charged Hamilton with.