Norris escapes F1 jump start punishment thanks to bizarre 'loophole'

McLaren's Lando Norris appeared to gain a head start on his competitors at the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, without being given a penalty.

The Brit struggled for much of the race in Jeddah, with McLaren's lack of straight-line speed clearly an issue that has stopped them from challenging for podiums in the early stages of 2024.

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Norris managed to come home in eighth, but the race could have potentially been worse for him, had he have been penalised for an incident right at the start of the grand prix.

The 24-year-old looked to get the jump on his rivals by starting the race just a split second before the lights went out in Jeddah, something that would normally trigger a slam-dunk penalty.

Norris appeared to look a little guilty when asked about it by Sky Sports after the race, but confirmed that, if anything, he lost out from the incident.

"I just went a little bit and then tried stopping again, and then went again. But overall, I lost. I didn't gain anything from it,” he said.

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FIA sensors miss Norris infringement

So, how did the McLaren driver get away with his apparent jump start? Well, it appears that the sensors in place to detect such a misdemeanour were not working. On top of this, a bizarre 'loophole' means that if McLaren were hit with a penalty for the incident, they could have got it scratched off immediately.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Anthony Davidson explained the incident after the race: “There will probably be lots of questions regarding this potential jump start from Lando Norris," he said.

"It was something that we all saw and something that he definitely felt.

“The lights are on, the car clearly moves, he stops and then he gets going again. So why didn’t he get a penalty?

“Well, on the circuit, on each grid box there is a sensor. Now it appears that the sensor wasn’t working. It didn’t detect the car moving. It’s an automated system and it didn’t detect that the car had moved.

“So, the stewards, although they can see that it is a potential jump start, or was a jump start, the human eye can detect it, the sensor didn’t actually pick it up. So that’s the first bit of luck.

“Second, there’s a bit of a loophole in the regulation. If they were given a penalty, it turns out that if the team appealed it, they would win the appeal because the sensor can’t detect the car moving," the former F1 driver revealed.

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“So that’s why, Lando Norris, we believe didn’t get a penalty for this actual jump start. Computer said no.”

The FIA then seemed to back this theory up with a statement, suggesting that the incident was looked at by race stewards, but that the sensors had not been triggered.

"The stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and determined that the video appeared to show that car four moved before the start signal was given," the stewards said after the race.

"However, the FIA approved and supplied transponder fitted on the car did not indicate a jump start.

"Article 48.1 a) of the Formula One Sporting Regulations states clearly that the judgment of whether or not there was a jump start is to be made in accordance with the transponder, which did not show a jump start. In the circumstances, we took no further action.”

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