Lando Norris May Look Guilty But Pleads the Fifth on Saudi Arabian GP Jumpstart

Lando Norris had a forgetful weekend in Jeddah, failing to leave a mark on the race. Outperformed by Ferrari debutant Ollie Bearman, Norris finished P8, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton. There was, however, one incident involving Norris that caught the eye of all those watching. He jumped the start but ended up avoiding a penalty. Addressing the same after the race ( interview clip uploaded on X by Ray), a curious-looking Norris opted to exercise his right to remain silent. The Briton avoided making any explicit claims, and did not confess to any wrongdoings.

Moments before the lights went out in Jeddah, Norris appeared to have jumped the gun. Standing diagonally behind him, Mercedes’ George Russell took note of the same. He immediately reported it to his race engineer, who took due note of the incident. Everyone expected the stewards to penalize Norris for the incident, but it did not happen. Much to the surprise of all those involved in the race, the matter did not even receive a check, let alone a penalty.

“I don’t know. I mean, I stopped, I think. It all happened so quickly. So, unsure. But, I just went a little bit and tried stopping again and went again.”

“what happened at the start?”
lando: pic.twitter.com/CJUuLFVcx2

— ray (@ln4norris) March 9, 2024

The race in Jeddah had various curious calls. While Norris avoided a penalty, Sergio Perez did not have similar luck. He received a five-second stop-and-go penalty for an unsafe release during a pit stop. He halted in front of Fernando Alonso, not allowing him to move, as he waited his turn for a tire change as part of a double stack by Red Bull. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen also received a penalty on the grounds of causing a collision. The stewards gave him a 10-second penalty, with many people claiming it was a bit too harsh.

Why didn’t Lando Norris receive a penalty in Jeddah?

Following the Saudi Arabian GP, the race stewards explained why they did not penalize Norris. Per a report from Autosport, the stewards explained that the standard transponder is the only valid parameter to determine whether a car has made a jump start. They reviewed the marshaling system data video, and it showed that Norris’ car moved before the race started. However, the transponder on the car did not indicate a jump start. Norris’ forward movement remained within the tolerances, allowing him to proceed with the race without facing any penalty.

 

p8 for us, difficult day but we did what we could

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) March 9, 2024

The steward claimed that Article 48.1a of the F1 Sporting Regulations clearly states that a jump start should solely be judged on the basis of the transponder. It “did not show a jumpstart, and in the circumstances, we took no further actions.” Despite starting the race a few inches ahead of the designated spot, Norris did not gain much. He ended up finishing the race in P8, two places below his starting position. However, chances are a penalty would have allowed Lewis Hamilton to overtake the McLaren driver in the final rankings.