Norris’ “unsporting behaviour” penalty explained. During the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, McLaren driver Lando Norris was handed a five-second penalty for “unsporting behaviour” in violation of article 12.2.1 of the International Sporting Code, which pertains to any actions that breach the principles of fair play, demonstrate unsporting behaviour, or attempt to influence the competition’s outcome in a manner contrary to sporting ethics.
To understand the stewards’ allegations against Lando Norris, let’s recap the situation: On lap 12 of the race, Mercedes driver George Russell crashed into the outside wall of the chicane at turns 8-9, resulting in the deployment of the safety car to clear the debris from the track.
At the same time, Norris’ engineer instructed him to return to the pits as it was planned to perform a double pit stop with his teammate Oscar Piastri, who was ahead on the track. It was during this moment that Norris decided to slow down on the straight, creating a sufficient gap between himself and Piastri to facilitate a seamless double pit stop for the McLaren team.
The stewards deemed Norris’ pace on the straight to be excessively slow and accused the British driver of intentionally driving at a reduced speed to create the necessary gap between him and his teammate, thereby enabling the team to change tires on both cars.
“unsporting behaviour”
The stewards’ report stated, “During the safety car period, the driver [Norris] slowed down to allow a gap to form between himself and his teammate in the 81 car [Piastri]. In doing so, he held up the cars behind him. There was a significant difference in speed between car 4 and car 81 between turns 10 and 13 (approximately 50 km/h).”
Norris received a five-second penalty for “unsporting behaviour” as per Article 12.2.1 of the International Sporting Code. The penalty was applied after the race, resulting in Norris officially being classified thirteenth in the Canadian Grand Prix, despite crossing the finish line in ninth place.
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Norris: “Doesn’t make sense!”
Speaking after the race, Norris expressed his confusion regarding the penalty, stating that it made “no sense” and that he had followed the usual practice adopted by other drivers in similar situations.
“It makes no sense. I was, what, three seconds, four seconds behind my delta. That’s what everyone does quite often,” said the McLaren driver.
“It was just too early to get into the pits in terms of our strategy, so I wasn’t planning to get in in the first place, and then I got the call just before the pit entrance.”
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“I’m just surprised [at the stewards’ decision] because you go fast, you go slow, you want to keep temperature in the tyres, so everybody does that leaving gaps , it’s not like I’m ten seconds behind my delta.”
“So, if it’s just because of the delta difference, most drivers should be getting penalties over the last three or four years. I’m a bit confused, but there’s nothing I can do. I slowed down, tried to warm up my tyres, then as soon as the team asked me to go back to the pits I went in. I pushed and tried to get in as quickly as possible.”
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