McLaren’s Lando Norris has questioned the stewards’ decision to issue him a five-second time penalty for “unsportsmanlike behaviour” at the Canadian Grand Prix.
After George Russell made contact with the wall on lap 12 of the race, a Safety Car was called which offered a pit stop opportunity for several teams.
McLaren decided to double stack their cars, and with Oscar Piastri leading Norris at the time, the latter opted to slow his pace to ensure he wasn’t held up in the pits.
But the stewards found that there was a “significant difference in speed between Car 4 [Norris] and Car 81 [Piastri] between Turns 10 and 13 (approximately 50 km/h).”
As a result, they issued Norris a costly penalty five-second time penalty.
The Briton crossed the line in ninth place, but was dropped back to 13th when the punishment was applied.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Norris said after the race. “I was, what, three seconds, four seconds behind my delta, which everyone quite often is.
“It was too early to box for what we were planning to do, so I wasn’t planning to box in the first place, then I got a call just before the pit entry.
“I’m surprised… Of course, you go slow and you go quick, you speed up, you want to keep the temperature in the tyres, so everyone leaves gaps and open up gaps.
“It wasn’t like I was 10 seconds behind my delta so if it’s because of the delta difference, then probably most people should be given penalties for the last three years or four years!
“So I’m a bit confused, but nothing I can do. I slowed down to try and warm up the tyres a bit and then as soon as [the team] told me to box, I pushed and tried to go in as fast as I can.”
With both Norris and Piastri outside of the points, McLaren’s point-less streak in Montreal continues – it last bagged a top 10 finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2015.
