Lando Norris’ recent 10-second stop-and-go penalty at the Qatar GP has reignited debates about the fairness and consistency of F1’s yellow flag rules. The McLaren driver was penalized for failing to slow down under double yellows on Sunday, which had dire consequences in the Championship battle. Many felt it was harsh, including Ruth Buscombe.
The former F1 strategist sympathized with Norris and drew comparisons to the infamous incident from Brazil in 2012, where Sebastian Vettel escaped punishment for what appeared to be a similar offense. “There’s a famous one where Seb missed it actually in Brazil,” she said on the Fast and the Curious podcast. “There was a light panel, but Ferrari, we found it too late.”
Vettel, on that day, overtook Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso, allegedly under yellow flag conditions. That’s what Ferrari argued, at least. And if the stewards had found him guilty, it would have resulted in a standard 20-second time penalty, which would have dropped him behind his championship rival Fernando Alonso, who could have gone on to win his third F1 title.
FINAL RACE TITLE DECIDERS 2012
Two legendary drivers, one championship title on the line
Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel’s 2012 title battle in Brazil was nothing short of dramatic! #F1 #HistoryAwaits pic.twitter.com/xj1NSze60R
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 8, 2021
However, the FIA did not see any discrepancy, clarifying that a green light panel further down the straight was visible, signaling Vettel that he was free to overtake. They added that the controversy arose from a misinterpretation of the TV broadcast, which made it seem like the then-Red Bull driver had passed under yellow flags.
Only disqualification would have been worse for Norris
Buscombe pointed out how Norris’ situation was similar to what allowed Vettel to get off scot-free. Onboard footage from the race showed that the yellow light started flashing only when the McLaren driver was about to pass, creating a narrow window of reaction time.
While this technically justified the penalty, Buscombe felt the severity of the punishment was disproportionate. “No one really can debate whether or not, including himself, he deserved a penalty—he did deserve a penalty,” she said. “But based on precedence, yes, [it was too harsh].”
She described it as one of the toughest possible punishments in F1, barring only disqualification. “Other than a straight disqualification (that is the worst penalty that can sort of be handed out). So there’s one level more, but it’s not good,” she added.
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
The stakes for Norris are high, amplifying the significance of the penalty. With only one race left in the 2024 season, he holds second place in the drivers’ standings with 349 points, just eight ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Moreover, McLaren leads the constructors’ championship by a narrow margin of 21 points over Ferrari. This makes the Abu Dhabi season finale pivotal, as severe penalties and a loss of points could ultimately determine the championship winner.
