FIA deliver extra punishment to Lando Norris after severe Qatar GP ...

Lando Norris’ Qatar Grand Prix weekend went from bad to worse in the wake of Sunday’s Grand Prix as the Briton was hit with three penalty points on his Super Licence having failed to slow for yellow flags.

Although Norris slashed his deficit to Max Verstappen in the F1 2024 title race to just 44 points a month ago in Brazil’s Sprint, his joy turned to disappointment in the weeks after.

A day after the Sprint, he lost the Grand Prix despite starting from pole position with his P6 in a red-flagged race all but ensuring race winner Verstappen clinched the World title.

The Red Bull driver did so at the next race in Las Vegas with Norris admitting that “hurt” only for the F1 race stewards to add to his misery at the very next race in Qatar.

Norris, who was chasing Verstappen for the race lead, was slapped with a massive 10-second stop-and-go penalty in Qatar for failing to slow for the yellow flags that were being waved because of debris on the track.

He managed to claw his way back into the points in 10th place but Charles Leclerc slashed his grasp on second place in the standings to just eight points with one race remaining.

The stewards added to Norris’ misery, issuing him with three penalty points on his Super Licence for his yellow flag infringement.

Ruling that ‘Car 4 failed to slow for double waved yellow flags’ in breach of ‘Breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code’, the FIA ruled that Norris not only received a 10-second stop-go penalty but also three penalty points on his Super Licence.

“The telemetry and on-board audio clearly showed that the driver of Car 4 did not make any reduction in speed in the yellow sector. The double waved yellow flags and yellow lights were clearly visible to him,” read the stewards’ ruling.

“Compliance with the yellow flag rules is paramount for the safety of all parties and this requirement is clearly noted in the first item of the Race Director’s Event Notes at every event.”

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McLaren head into the final race of the campaign leading the Constructors’ Championship on 640 points to Ferrari’s 619.

However, it could’ve been a bigger advantage were it not for Norris’ penalty as he was on course for second place before the 10-second stop-and-go penalty.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella refused to point the finger for McLaren’s missing out on the title in Qatar on Norris, after all, he’s played a huge role in McLaren even being in contention.

“What I can say is that we are in a position of going into the final race leading the championship,” Stella told the media including PlanetF1.com, “because our two drivers have done an amazing job, and this has delivered the points that when summed gave us the leadership from the Constructors’ point of view.

“Lando has been the main contributor to put McLaren in this condition.

“So while we look at what we can do better, and certainly today pain and disappointment are the prevailing feelings on Lando’s side.

“At the same time, we can only be thankful for what Lando has done for the team, and we are sure that this will give him even more determination to have a strong grace in Abu Dhabi and complete the job that was not possible to complete here in Qatar.”

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