FIA issue statement on CONTROVERSIAL Norris penalty

The FIA has released a statement following the Qatar Grand Prix where Lando Norris was handed what proved to be a controversial penalty.

The McLaren Formula 1 star was dealt a 10-second stop/go penalty for failing to slow under yellow-flagged conditions, meaning he dropped from second and challenging for the win to just 10th come the end of the race.

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The penultimate race of the 2024 calendar saw two yellow flags, multiple race restarts and five DNFs.

The issues that led to Norris' penalty began when Alex Albon's wing mirror flew off of his Williams and was left on the track, with no safety car deployed so that the debris could be cleared.

This then led to a domino effect that had a major impact on the race result after Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror, scattering tiny pieces of sharp remains all over the circuit and leading to multiple punctures across the grid.

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FIA issue response over Qatar GP decision drama

After plenty of criticism following the race and the decisions made during it, the FIA has now given their account of proceedings, including information on why Norris received the punishment that he did and the timing of the eventual safety car.

"Normal practice is for the safety car not to be deployed if there is a small amount of debris, and off the racing line," the statement read.

"The extensive debris after a car hit the mirror and the punctures that occurred shortly after forced the decision on a safety car.

"A VSC would not have been a solution, as the cars remain spread out and there is not sufficient time for a marshal to clear the debris."

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Turning to Norris' penalty, the FIA explained: "The penalty was in accordance with the penalty guidelines circulated to the teams on 19 February 2024,"

"A double yellow flag infringement is considered a serious compromise of safety, which is why such offences carry such a severe penalty."

Despite the questions surrounding the severity of the penalty, there was an acceptance from McLaren chief Andrea Stella that Norris had broken the rule he was found foul of.

However, the McLaren chief called for a review of the punishment for such an offence, claiming that Norris' penalty 'lacked any specificity and proportion'.

Following his penalty, Norris was able to recover to P10 in Qatar, adding a single point to McLaren's constructors' tally.

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