McLaren principal Andrea Stella called for a sense of proportion after Lando Norris collected one of the harshest penalties in the rule book for ignoring yellow flags at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Briton’s 10-second stop-and-go penalty, for failing to slow when the flags were waved in response to debris on the track, cost crucial points in the championship battle with Ferrari.
The penalty, effectively costing more than 30 seconds all told, dropped Norris from second overall down to the rear of the field before the Briton then fought back to 10th with the fastest lap.
Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion and a former McLaren driver, told Sky Sports television viewers that the penalty seemed “unbelievably extreme.”
Stella told reporters that the data confirmed Norris had not slowed, effectively staying flat out, but the yellow flags were inconsistent — deployed and then removed despite the track situation staying the same.
“The lack of any specificity and proportion is very concerning,” he said. “And it’s also a factor that could have a decisive impact on the championship quest.
“It’s definitely material that the FIA should consider very seriously if we want fairness to be part of going racing in Formula 1.”
Stella said he trusted the FIA’s decision making but expected the body to review its operations and application of the penalty, even if it was too late to do anything about the outcome of the race.
“There is certainly, in our opinion, material for improvement,” he added, without commenting on a recent change of race director.
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Norris and Verstappen react to Lando’s Qatar penalty
Hear from Max Verstappen and an apologetic Lando Norris, after the McLaren driver was handed a 10-second penalty at the Qatar Grand Prix.
McLaren, who last won the constructors’ title in 1998 and before either of their current drivers were born, are 21 points clear of Ferrari with 44 still to be won in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
Both their drivers had lined up ahead of the Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the start.
Stella suggested the situation looked like someone taking out a book covered in dust and opening it up to see what it said and then applying it.
Norris, whose Australian team mate Oscar Piastri finished third, blamed himself and apologised for what he saw as a costly mistake.
“I’ve made the job of the team much harder than it needs to be. The team are doing a great job but I’ve let them down,” he said.
Stella said he should not be so hard on himself.
“What I can say is that we are in a position of going into the final race leading the championship because our two drivers have done an amazing job, and this has delivered the points that give us the leadership,” he added.
“And Lando has been the main contributor to put McLaren in this condition.”
