McLaren boss Andrea Stella questions Formula 1 penalty imposed on Lando Norris
Lando Norris
McLaren boss Andrea Stella feels that Lando Norris was deliberately used as a catalyst to establish a groundbreaking precedent with the time penalty imposed during the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella, has expressed his belief that Lando Norris was used as a means to establish a new precedent by stewards through the imposition of a time penalty in the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Although the British driver initially finished the race within the points, he was later demoted to 13th place due to a five-second penalty for "unsportsmanlike conduct".
The penalty was attributed to Norris for falling behind the early Safety Car, triggered by George Russell, in order to avoid double-stacking behind his teammate Oscar Piastri. When questioned about the penalty, Norris appeared bewildered.
Stella suggests that the stewards may be intending to tighten their grip on such infringements in the future.
"We immediately approached the stewards after the race as we believe that exceeding certain speeds under a Safety Car or even a Virtual Safety Car should not result in penalties," Stella shared with the media.
"There's a chance that the stewards wish to establish new benchmarks. We will continue to engage in discussions with them.
"Ultimately, we respect their judgement, but we will once again scrutinize Lando's actions because we are genuinely surprised that this incident led to a penalty.
"We comprehend the stewards' perspective; they may wish to create a precedent in order to redefine the manner in which one must drive under a Safety Car.
"If that is their approach, so be it, but it is unfortunate that we find ourselves caught up in this process of establishing new precedents.
"We will carry out a thorough analysis because during the race, it is impossible to delve into such minute details while also actively competing for points.
"Nonetheless, I believe that if we had managed to overtake other cars instead of being obstructed, we could have easily made up those five seconds."
The upcoming Austrian Grand Prix is the next event on the F1 calendar and is scheduled for Sunday, 2nd July at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.
