Метка: Lando Norris

The unspoken major factor behind McLaren’s F1 title win


“Wow” – was initially all McLaren team boss Andrea Stella could muster when Autosport raised the subject of his squad’s bulletproof reliability in Formula 1 2024 ahead of the Abu Dhabi finale.

A discipline as scientific as motorsport does not really leave room for superstition, but the timing of our discussion was complex and so Stella’s brief incredulity was understandable. To be clear, Andrea, we weren’t trying to curse you…

Last Saturday, with McLaren having secured the front two spots on the grid for the race eventually won by Lando Norris – and with constructors’ championship rival Ferrari having one of its cars starting down in 19th thanks to Charles Leclerc’s various misfortunes in the Abu Dhabi event’s opening two days – the papaya team was heavy favourite to wrap up this year’s teams’ prize.

Stella was right to be wary. Not only had McLaren seen Norris slip from a possibly winning position to nowhere in Qatar a week earlier due to the Briton’s main race double yellow flag gaffe, but the subsequent Yas Marina Turn 1 contact between Oscar Piastri in the other MCL38 and Max Verstappen highlighted how precarious its position remained until the race ended.

Indeed, with Leclerc rising from 19th to eighth on the chaotic opening lap, if Norris fell behind chaser Carlos Sainz in the lead Ferrari over the rest of the event, the 14-point swing would have been enough for the Scuderia to steal the constructors’ title.

Also at play was how, at this stage, Piastri’s recovery to 10th place was not a given.

But in getting to the finish as its drivers did, McLaren capped its first F1 teams’ title in 26 years with a remarkable record in one critical area.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

This was how, of all the frontrunning four teams, it did not have a single reliability drama that cost it points in 2024.

At Red Bull, Verstappen retired in Australia with his brake fire and lost a likely Spa win due to his engine energy recovery system issue back in Montreal practice, meaning he had to suffer a grid penalty.

Also in Canada, Ferrari lost Leclerc to a power unit problem, while at Mercedes engine drama forced DNFs for Lewis Hamilton in Australia and George Russell at Silverstone.

Indeed, McLaren only failed to score points on two occasions this year – when Piastri was in the wars with Sainz in Miami and when Norris came off far worse from that crash with Verstappen in Austria.

Technically, as he stopped in the pits seven laps from the finish, Norris was classified at the Red Bull Ring – ultimately ensuring a zero DNF record for the constructors’ champion in a year where Piastri followed Michael Schumacher in 2002, Lewis Hamilton in 2019 and Max Verstappen last year in completing every single racing lap.

Norris barely squeaked over the 90% race distance threshold required to be classified in Austria, as he had completed 90.1% of the event when he stopped with his MCL38 too damaged to continue after the contact with Verstappen on lap 64.

Stella did ultimately respond to our enquiry on just how McLaren had maintained such excellent reliability in 2024.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing,rea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, the McLaren team celebrate after securing the Constructors title

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing,rea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, the McLaren team celebrate after securing the Constructors title

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

His answer recalled his previous career experience working as a performance and race engineer at Ferrari, which raised the standard on F1 reliability during its run of five world title doubles with Schumacher during this period in the early 2000s.

“We are in the position we are in terms of the constructor championship, not only because we have been able to realise a car that, on average, was competitive in most circuits, we have [also] had the drivers that have used this car, often, to the best of its potential,” Stella said.

“But definitely from an operational point of view and a reliability point of view the team so far has been able to achieve standards that in my career in Formula 1, they make me think of my early 2000s years at Ferrari, where reliability was kind of a religion and the standards were very high.

“In every Formula 1 team, you don’t achieve these results in an unstructured way.

“This is the result of having invested in this area – operations and reliability – invested money, invested [in] people, [and] changed the organisation in relation to how we deal with the reliability and also the culture.

“With this question, you give me the possibility to make an appraisal of the work and the quality of the work that has happened in this area.

Watch: McLaren Secures Constructors’ Title as Norris Takes the Win! — Abu Dhabi GP Race Reaction

“But what I say when I talk about reliability in our team debrief is that I think it’s the worst job in Formula 1.

“Because you are always as good as yesterday. There’s no credit accumulated – because every new session, every new race, can offer a situation, a problem.

“So, the only thing you can do is just stay super focused, super proactive, and see where the next problem will be coming from.”

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Alex Kalinauckas

Formula 1

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

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McLaren “aware” of team orders headache to bring title home in Abu Dhabi GP


McLaren boss Andrea Stella has faith that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will not be selfish and put their own eagerness to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of the team’s constructors’ championship ambitions.

The Woking-based squad stands on the cusp of its first teams’ title since 1998 in the F1 season finale, as it holds a 21-points advantage over Ferrari. A victory at the Yas Marina will secure it the crown.

But after locking out the front row of the grid, the team is mindful about the complications that could come from its driver pairing fighting it out too much for the win.

And it is not shying away from the scenario that any clash could then open the door for third-placed Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to capitalise and take a victory that would give Scuderia the crown.

Stella says he is fully “aware” of the need to manage the situation between the drivers, especially after a season where it has faced angst about the imposition of team orders at various stages of the campaign.

But while things have not always been executed perfectly between Norris and Piastri this year, Stella has faith that the pair will handle things differently this time out because they know the ultimate value to everyone at McLaren of the constructors’ title.

“When we deal with drivers, we always need to be very conscious that they are wired to win races,” said Stella.

“They grow from karting thinking like that. They always think like that, and then at some stage in their career, you tell them, like, ‘Oh no, here is not about you guys winning. Here is about the team winning.’

“So first of all, awareness. We are very aware. During the season, we already had a conversation, more than one conversation with our two drivers, and we said to them that this is the only situation in which the interests of us three is not the same. 

“So we cannot face something just staying totally united because the two drivers: each of them wants to win.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, with Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, with Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Stella says that while the squad will need to carefully consider what kind of team orders to impose on its drivers today to ensure it does not slip up, he thinks both of them understand well themselves what is at stake today and why a different approach is needed.

“Anytime we had this conversation, I was always very positively surprised by how easy it was to get the point across,” he added.

“The first interest is the team, and this will be the same conversation [on Sunday morning]. We have the launch, we have the first corner, the first lap, all situations for which we will have the best possible preparation.

“Sometimes in reality, when it’s about close racing, you cannot be too prescriptive, because drivers actually may feel the safest just following the instinct.

“But what’s important is that you programme the instinct with a clear objective, and the objective tomorrow is to bring the championship home.

“And I have to say that when I talked with Oscar and Lando as well, they both thought that for where we are in our and in their careers, and in the journey with McLaren, the constructors’ championship is actually what they care [about] the most.”

Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, arrives in Parc Ferme

Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, arrives in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Ferrari must stop McLaren winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if it is to have any hope of securing the constructors’ championship itself – which means it needs to go on the attack.

That opens up a danger for McLaren in perhaps approaching things from a too conservative mindset which then could risk it leaving the door open for its rival.

Asked about the approach it was taking, Stella said that it was important McLaren did not get complacent about things.

“I think we should approach the race like we have approached the weekend, by repeating to ourselves that we will just keep doing what we have done before,” explained Stella. “And this is true even in the race.

“I think if you start to hesitate, you can make the wrong decisions. And so far, I have to say that the team have been pretty cool, pretty chill, calm, focused.

“Even during the qualifying, no one really held back anything. Like you could see with Oscar. He went into Q3 and he went for it, and he was on the limit of lap deletion that which then was restated.

“So obviously, we will have some words of caution, but in fairness, we would like very much to win the race. So that will be the objective, and I think it’s also the safest way to make sure that we gain the points that we need to for the championship.”

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Jonathan Noble

Formula 1

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

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Why Hamilton’s Qatar and Norris’s Saudi Arabian false starts were treated differently


Lewis Hamilton was penalised at the Qatar Grand Prix for a false start having moved — and then stopped — before the lights went out to begin the race.

The Mercedes driver picked up his first penalty of a trying race when he nudged forward early, though his loss of momentum as he tried to correct the error saw him lose spots off the line.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton was downcast after the race when holding his hands up for the error, as well as his later penalty for speeding in the pits, saying: «It could have been worse, but I finished and it’s over.

«That was me at the start. And then the puncture was really unfortunate. And the pitlane, that was me as well. I’ll do my best, but I’ll get back up tomorrow and give it another shot.»

But the consistency of penalty application had arisen on social media amid the debate around the FIA’s decision-making at the Losail International Circuit, with some pointing to Lando Norris’s lack of punishment for a similar misjudgement at the start at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

So why was Hamilton punished and Norris wasn’t?

What did Norris do?

At the second round in Jeddah, Norris did almost the exact same thing as Hamilton had done in nudging forward in his grid box before the lights extinguished, before stopping and then getting going with a loss of momentum.

The ‘false start’ was noted by Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who was straight onto his team radio to call «false start Norris» as he breezed by the McLaren.

But it transpired that Norris had failed to trigger the FIA transponder at the start, meaning that because of the absence of an alert from the sensor, he was spared a penalty.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, the remainder of the field at the start

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, the remainder of the field at the start

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The stewards’s report at the event read: «The Stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and determined that the video appeared to show that Car 4 moved before the start signal was given.

«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.»

What was different for Hamilton?

As the stewards’s report states from the past weekend: «The FIA transponder indicated a false start. This was confirmed by examination of the video evidence from the on-board camera of Car 44.  As the start of Car 44 was only very slightly ahead of the start signal, the minimum penalty is applied.»

The fact the transponder was triggered is the first point of difference between the two incidents, even though they look near-identical. But in truth, Hamilton was more likely to be penalised anyway, given a major change to the regulations following discussions at the F1 Commission meeting held between the Chinese and Australian Grands Prix.

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Confusion over Norris’s non-penalty, given it was obvious to the eye that there was a false start, led to a change in the wording of the regulations, with the sentence that determined any jumps could be found only by the transponder being triggered removed from the rulebook.

A revision to Article 48.1 a) of the Sporting Regulations instead states than an offence will be deemed to have taken place if a driver is judged to have: «moved after the four (4) second light is illuminated and before the start signal is given by extinguishing all red lights.»

Therefore, regardless of Hamilton’s transponder being triggered on Sunday, the Briton would have been punished under the revised regulation anyway.

This was no inconsistency from the FIA or the race stewards, but rather all parties learning from a confusing situation and putting things right.

In this article

Ewan Gale

Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton

Lando Norris

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McLaren wants FIA review on penalty stance amid fears of future «consequences»


McLaren believes the FIA should review how penalties are handed out in Formula 1 after warning that Lando Norris’s stop-go sanction in the Qatar GP risks «consequences».

While the Woking-based team accepts that Norris did not slow down for the double yellow flags that were brought out for Alex Albon’s stranded mirror on the straight, team boss Andrea Stella believes the 10-second stop-go penalty he was given for what he did was too extreme.

He believes that the punishment was far out of kilter with the crime, and fears there is a danger of repeated circumstances in the future throwing up some wider problems.

Speaking after the race,  Stella said: «I’m here acknowledging that, checking the data, Lando did not slow down.

«But the lack of any specificity and proportion is very concerning, and is 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 the competition of the going racing in Formula 1. It’s an important business.

«There’s a huge commitment from every team, a huge commitment from all the parties, and we need to make sure that the business is run in a way that some fundamental element of proportion and specificity is guaranteed when a penalty is applied. Otherwise, the consequences may go out of control.

«To me, it looks like somewhere there must be a book with a lot of dust on the cover that was kind of taken out [and someone said]: ‘Let me see what it says. I apply this.'»

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Stella explained that any review he wants by the FIA is more about how penalties are applied in the future, rather than trying to open the door to change Norris’ penalty.

«We expect that this case of applying such a severe penalty will be reviewed by the FIA, and there is certainly, in our opinion, material for improvement once the FIA has taken this opportunity to open a review of their operations and application of the penalty,» he explained.

«As for the rest, we don’t want to comment. We trust the FIA in terms of their decisions, in terms of when you put somebody in a certain role — that’s the job of the FIA.

«For us, we have expressed that we expect this to be the case to be reviewed but we don’t want to enter with any comment about changes of racing director. We don’t have the elements to judge, so we just trust the institution that is there to do this kind of job.»

McLaren was not alone in questioning the draconian sanctions the FIA handed out in the race, which included a drive-through penalty for Lewis Hamilton for speeding behind the safety car in the pitlane.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Sky: «The penalties were brutal, particularly to McLaren – and it can cost the championship.

«I don’t know what the infringement was, but the most important thing is that there’s consistency. If the race director comes in and he has a hard stance, that’s OK as long as everybody knows that it’s a hard stance, and you have to comply with it.»

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Jonathan Noble

Formula 1

Lando Norris

McLaren

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McLaren insists Norris title was never main goal following Brazil setback


McLaren says that guiding Lando Norris to the drivers’ championship was never ultimately its main target – as it has always been more focused on the constructors’ crown.

Norris had a golden opportunity to close down Max Verstappen’s points advantage in the Brazilian Grand Prix after starting on pole position and his rival down in 17th on the grid.

But a combination of a lack of pace in the wet, driving errors, brake lock-up problems and a badly timed red flag meant the Briton finished sixth – with Verstappen producing a sensational performance to win.

That result has left him 62 points adrift of Verstappen with only three rounds remaining.

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While the Brazil outcome is a disappointment for Norris in personal terms, McLaren says it changes nothing in its approach, because it was only ever thinking about the constructors’ battle anyway.

Asked by Autosport about how the Brazil result would impact the approach to the final races, and whether or not it would actually take some pressure off Norris, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “In terms of the constructors’ championship, I don’t think it changes anything.

“It was always our priority. Even when there was a call to be made to support one driver or the other, it was always secondary to that to maximising the constructors’ championship.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Stella did not feel that the potential of being in a title battle had much of an impact on Norris’s performance at Interlagos, as he felt both team and driver knew it was a bonus to be in the fight in the first place.

“When it comes to the drivers’ championship, I don’t think for Lando there was any particular pressure,” he said.

“We were enjoying this quest, even though sometimes from the outside it may come across like there is an error here or there maybe.

“It is like when we locked the tyres with the car like we had [in Brazil] I am not looking at the driver, I am looking at why the car keeps locking the front tyres in conditions like this. I don’t think pressure was a significant factor at all.

“Mathematically we are still in the [drivers’] championship, but I think for Lando and for Oscar, we will go to the next races trying to win the races.

“The last two venues should be quite good. Vegas will be potentially more of a Ferrari track, and then we will see. It is all to play for, and the constructors’ championship remains and has always been our priority.”

Norris himself has always played down thoughts of the title, thinking it was ultimately a long shot to come from so far back.

Asked how hard the Brazil result was to digest now that the title dream was all but over, he said: “Quite easy. I did all I could today. That’s all. Max won the race. Good on him. Well done, but it doesn’t change anything for me.”

While Norris lost ground in the drivers’ championship in Brazil, McLaren managed to extend its constructors’ advantage over Ferrari by seven points to 36 points – which makes it increasingly likely that the battle will go all the way to the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Watch: How the Right Calls Led to Verstappen’s Incredible Comeback — F1 Brazil GP Race Reaction



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Norris, Russell fined and reprimanded for aborted start chaos in Brazil F1 GP


McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes driver George Russell have been handed a reprimand and a 5,000 euro fine for breaching the FIA’s start procedure at Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Sao Paulo’s F1 race received a messy start, with Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll spinning into the gravel on the formation lap at the entry into Turn 4. Stroll’s stricken car meant the start had to be aborted, which resets the start procedure and comes with a 10-minute delay for crews to ready the cars for the new start.

Watch: How the Right Calls Led to Verstappen’s Incredible Comeback — F1 Brazil GP Race Reaction

Drivers are supposed to return to the starting grid or stay there when the aborted start message is displayed, but polesitter Norris launched off the grid when the message appeared on the start gantry.

In the confusion, the drivers directly behind Norris followed his example; second-placed starter Russell and both RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.

Others followed the procedure correctly and remained stationary, like Red Bull’s eventual winner Max Verstappen who was confused by what was going on. Eventually, every car left the grid to catch up to the rest of the train.

The incident was investigated after the race so the FIA stewards could hear from the teams involved, and late on Sunday night they penalised Norris and Russell for not following the right procedures.

As the front row starters that caused the disruption, Norris and Russell were slapped with a 5,000 fine and a reprimand for not following the correct procedure.

They therefore keep their respective finishing positions of sixth (Norris) and fourth (Russell).

«Although the signal was appropriately given the light panel illuminated as prescribed, and the teams notified by the messaging system, the driver left the grid and proceeded on a lap that he assumed to be an extra formation lap,» read the verdict for both Britons.

«As the driver was on the front row of the grid this triggered following drivers to take similar action.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, lead the field away for the formation lap

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, lead the field away for the formation lap

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

«At some point the Race Director, realising that for practical reasons all cars would now need to do an extra formation lap, gave an instruction to the teams for all cars to proceed and return to the grid to follow the correct aborted start procedure.

«In the opinion of the stewards, the driver precipitated the action of the drivers on the grid directly behind him.»

There was no further action for Tsunoda and Lawson, because they reacted to Norris and Russell directly in front of them and therefore were «not predominately responsible for the breach».

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Stella critical of McLaren’s Mexico GP qualifying execution as Norris hits «limit»


McLaren team principal Andrea Stella reckons the team’s execution let it down in Mexico Grand Prix qualifying and felt pole was possible.

But Lando Norris, who was quickest in both Q1 and Q2, suggested he had hit the limit of potential in his car.

He was unable to hit the ground running at the start of Q3 and was only fifth fastest at the end of the opening runs before improving on his follow-up effort, which earned him third on the grid.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Stella felt that performance was ‘left behind’ in qualifying, also noting Oscar Piastri’s mistake at Turn 12 that consigned him to a surprising Q1 exit having headlined FP3 earlier on Saturday.

«Overall I would say the car during this qualifying session was competitive, and was in a condition to score the pole position, even though Carlos in the final session kind of raised the bar quite a bit,» said Stella.

«If we take the natural progression, then with Lando we might have been there. But we have to say that the two laps in Q3, they weren’t great.

«In the first one, there were a couple of mistakes — these overheated the tyres and then the tyres were going away from Lando.

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

«In the second one, it wasn’t very clean, but it was important to make sure that it was decent enough to be there in the first or the second row.

«So we’re all encouraged that the car was performing well, but at the same time, from an execution point of view, we left a little bit of performance behind, especially with Oscar in Q1, where he had the lap time deleted and he missed it.

«We have quite a lot of work ahead of us to get back in the points.»

Norris did not necessarily agree with Stella’s assessment and explained: «I was at the limit.

«I couldn’t go any quicker, it’s more I think the others just didn’t get the most out of it. Pretty much every corner I was close to locking up and making mistakes, and I did that in my Q3 run one lap.

«But I definitely had nowhere near close to three-tenths left in the car. So it was more that they just went quicker.

«I got everything out of the car already in Q1 and Q2 and made us look like the ones to beat. But honestly, since FP1 Ferrari have been the guys to beat, and Carlos is on top today, so it’ll be challenging to beat them tomorrow.»

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Speaking later to Sky, Norris explained that he had to drive with restraint to get a decent qualifying time out of the car in Q3, although he noted that this still wasn’t particularly clean.

He conceded that making a play for the lead into the first corner might be his best chance of beating the Ferraris on race pace on Sunday.

«I struggled to get much more out of the car in the final two laps. I tried in Q3, round one, but it clearly didn’t work. So I just had to drive much more under the limit in the second run.

«I’m happy. I think we just have not had the pace of the Ferrari all weekend. Maybe we could have had Max, but he did a good lap; mine was not as clean as maybe what I would have liked. I just wanted to get a good-ish lap in.

«I think turn one, lap one will be our best opportunity [to win the race]. But Ferrari are just doing things well at the minute.»



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FIA stewards reject McLaren’s Right of Review petition over Norris’s Austin penalty


McLaren has had its request for a Right of Review into Lando Norris’ Austin penalty rejected by the FIA stewards for last weekend’s Formula 1 race in Austin.

McLaren had argued that the stewards made an incorrect statement – and overall call – in handing Norris a penalty in Document 69 (from the FIA timing system) of the Austin weekend.

It was this that the Woking team submitted as a “significant and relevant new element that was unavailable to McLaren at the time the stewards took their decision” to penalise Norris.

McLaren tried to argue that Norris had successfully got ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the scrap at Turn 12 late in the United States Grand Prix and so became a defending car and not an attacker when Verstappen shot back to reach the apex of the corner ahead before they both ran wide and Norris overtook in the wide run-off area.

In order for the Right of Review procedure to get to its second stage, which here would have been a new case assessing if Norris’s penalty would be rescinded, all teams initiating this process must prove to the stewards what they are arguing as new evidence is ‘significant’, ‘relevant’, ‘new’ and ‘unavailable at the time of the decision’.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The hearing in the Mexican GP paddock – with the Austin stewards joining via video – lasted just 25 minutes, as McLaren team boss Andrea Stella and team manager Randeep Singh made their case.

Red Bull representatives, which included sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, FIA officials including head of single seater matters Nikolas Tombazis were also present – with Wheatley outlining Red Bull’s arguments in the case.

Singh argued that McLaren believed ‘Document 69’ was a significant and relevant new element because “The document for the decision contained a statement that was incorrect and that [therefore] evidenced an objective, measurable and provable error had been made by the stewards” – per the FIA document announcing the Right of Review had been rejected.

McLaren said “that the statement [in ‘Document 69’] was that “Car 4 was overtaking Car 1 on the outside but was not level with Car 1 at the apex” and that “the above statement was in error because McLaren had evidence that Car 4 had already overtaken and was ahead of Car 1 “at the braking zone”.

Stella argued that “the case for McLaren was a ‘legally sophisticated explanation’ and urged the stewards to recognize that this was a substantive case especially compared to previous Right of Review cases”.

Wheatley said Red Bull felt none of the four Right of Review criteria had been met in this case and said, also per the relevant FIA document, that “in view of the “very high bar” that is set (in Article 14 of the FIA International Sporting Code) for a successful petitioning of a Right of Review, it is “extremely onerous” to establish the existence of the new element”.

McLaren, however, believed its evidence presented met the high bar required and also “stated that he felt there needed to be another way to correct decisions taken in a race”.

Having adjourned the hearing, the Austin stewards decided to only focus on one of the Right of Review elements – relevance – and declared that “the concept that the written Decision (Document 69) was the significant and relevant new element, or that an error in the decision was a new element, is not sustainable and is therefore rejected”.

The Austin stewards also explained that “McLaren appears to submit that the Stewards finding that “Car 4 was not level with Car 1 at the apex” was an error and that Car 4 had overtaken Car 1 before the apex (and therefore that Car 1 was the overtaking car) and that this asserted error is itself, a new element.

The statement continued: “This is unsustainable. A petition for review is made in order to correct an error (of fact or law) in a decision. Any new element must demonstrate that error.

“The error that must be shown to exist, cannot itself be the element referred to in Article 14 (of the ISC).”

At the end of their petition rejection document, the Austin stewards also commented on the “high bar” element of the Right of Review rule in the ISC.

They determined to draw the FIA’s attention to how “The current ‘high bar’ that exists in Article 14 and the fact that it appears to have been designed more for decisions that are taken as a result of a hearing where all parties are present, rather than in the pressurised environment of a race session, when decisions are taken, (as is allowed under the International Sporting Code), without all parties being present.”

This is an element of how Norris’s penalty was applied in Austin – without hearing his or Verstappen’s point of view – that had frustrated McLaren last weekend.

Following the decision, McLaren issued a statement which read: «We acknowledge the Stewards’ decision to reject our petition requesting a Right of Review.

«We disagree with the interpretation that an FIA document, which makes a competitor aware of an objective, measurable and provable error in the decision made by the stewards, cannot be an admissible “element” which meets all four criteria set by the ISC, as specified in Article 14.3.

«We would like to thank the FIA and the stewards for having considered this case in a timely manner.

«We will continue to work closely with the FIA to further understand how teams can constructively challenge decisions that lead to an incorrect classification of the race.»



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Norris says Austin was “momentum killer” for F1 title hopes


Lando Norris labelled his United States Grand Prix weekend a «momentum killer» for his Formula 1 title hopes after losing ground to Max Verstappen.

The McLaren driver had gone into the Austin event 52 points behind his Red Bull rival and well aware that, with time running out, he needed to start cutting the deficit dramatically.

But rather than continuing to close down the margin, Norris actually lost five more points after being classified behind Verstappen in both the sprint and the grand prix.

His efforts on Sunday though were not helped by a controversial five-second penalty for overtaking off the track that dropped him from third on the road ahead of Verstappen to behind his rival.

Asked how much the weekend had impacted his title prospect, Norris said: «I mean, quite a bit. It’s a momentum killer.

«But we came in here with our mind open, not expecting to dominate or just win or anything. The fact that Ferrari was so quick showed they’re just as competitive.

«Even if I had come around Turn 1 in first, I would never have finished first or second and only could have finished third.

«The one guy I needed to beat was Max, and that’s the guy I didn’t beat. So, it was an unsuccessful weekend all in all.

«But we gave it a good shot. I tried. It wasn’t good enough, and we have work to do, and I’ve work to do on myself.»

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

While McLaren’s form in the United States was not as good as it has been in recent race weekends, team boss Andrea Stella said he was not surprised that things were more difficult this time out.

He said that the contrast in pace, between dominating in Singapore in the last race and being on the back foot a little in Austin, was down to track characteristics.

«Compared to Singapore, here there’s quite a lot more low-speed braking into low-speed corners, plus wind, and we know that in these conditions, not necessarily our car performs at the best,» he said.

«It is not as good as in some medium speed corners, low wind conditions, which we had in Singapore, we had in Zandvoort, and we had in Hungary.

«We know that these three venues that I’ve just mentioned do suit our car, but here I would have expected this event to be the most difficult of the remaining six events.»

Stella also thinks it is important to understand that Ferrari’s dominant form in Austin was not a big shock, because analysis of recent races shows that perhaps the Italian squad had not maximised its chances before.

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«They have been quick over the previous races pretty consistently,» he added. «If anything, they have not been capable of maximising their potential.

«In Baku, Leclerc, in fairness, was definitely in condition to win the race. In Singapore, we were expecting Leclerc to be competitive for pole position and the same in the race. So, we are not surprised that Ferrari is so close.

«I think the next circuits should be more suitable to the characteristics of our car. We also have to keep developing the car.

«Here, we took some developments to the front of the car, but they were nothing too large in terms of potential lap time impact. We have a couple more things that are coming in the next two races, and we will see if we are in a condition to alter the competitiveness of the car.»

Additional reporting by Alex Kalinauckas



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