Lando Norris received a penalty from the F1 stewards for what they considered to be “unsportsmanlike behaviour” in the Canadian Grand Prix, which resulted in him losing a points-scoring finish.
Norris was one of the drivers making their way to the pits when McLaren decided to double-stack its drivers after George Russell’s hard hit to the wall on lap 12 caused a spray of debris on the track.
However, the officials took issue with Norris for what they saw as unnecessary slow down in order to put enough distance between himself and teammate Oscar Piastri to make sure he would not lose time by making his pit stop right after his teammate.
Race Control decided that Norris would get a five-second penalty, changing his position from ninth on the track to thirteenth in the final standings at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The stewards stated in their explanation of their decision: “The stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence.
“During the Safety Car period the driver slowed to allow a gap to form between his team-mate in Car 81 and him. In doing so he delayed the cars behind. There was a significant difference in speed between Car 4 and Car 81 between Turns 10 and 13 (approximately 50 km/h).
“Article 12.2.1.l of the ISC refers to ‘any infringement of the principles of fairness in competition, behaviour in an unsportsmanlike manner or attempt to influence the results of a competition, in a way that is contrary to sporting ethics.”
With Piastri crossing the finish line in P11, that concluded McLaren’s fruitless tour to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
In addition, Alpine’s lead over McLaren in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship has expanded to 27 points after the Canadian Grand Prix thanks to Esteban Ocon’s four points he gained from a P8 finish.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen made it four straight wins for Red Bull with his victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, as the squad also celebrated their 100th race win. This has allowed them to continue maintaining a lead clear of the rivals.
