Lando Norris was penalized with a five-second penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits during the Austrian Grand Prix. McLaren expressed concern that penalties for track limit violations during failed overtaking attempts may discourage overtaking in Formula 1. Norris was involved in a fierce battle with Max Verstappen towards the end of the race when he was investigated for crossing the white lines. Despite claiming that Verstappen had pushed him, Norris received a penalty that ultimately had no impact on the final result. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella urged the FIA to review the regulations to ensure that drivers are encouraged to make bold overtakes. Stella believes that if drivers are penalized for minor track limit infractions during overtakes, they may be discouraged from attempting overtakes. He emphasized the importance of distinguishing between track limits that provide an advantage and those that result in a significant loss of time. Norris and Verstappen later collided at the same corner, causing substantial damage to Norris’ car and forcing him to retire. There were doubts whether McLaren had served Norris’ penalty before taking his car to the garage, but Stella confirmed that the penalty had been served. He explained that the decision to retire the car was made due to extensive damage, not only to the floor but also to the bodywork.
Stella attributed Verstappen’s inflexible approach, once again resurfacing, to the fact that his aggressive driving was not sufficiently contained in previous instances.
And with the Dutchman having remained in the race and finishing in fifth place, while Norris retired, the Italian suggested that the FIA should reassess several regulations.
When asked if he considered it unfair that Verstappen could increase his points lead despite being penalized, Stella replied: “That is a challenging problem.
“That is a challenging problem because if the stewards determined that the 10-second penalty was appropriate, they – to some extent – adhere to their rulebook.
“So it is complicated because sometimes the outcome can be insignificant, sometimes it can be significant like in this case, with one car being taken out and the other car being compromised.
“I don’t want to simplify everything and claim that everything was clear. Things are sometimes complex and require careful consideration.
“I believe that the 10-second penalty today was ineffective and the driver we are trying to catch up with in the standings gained 10 points. It definitely deserves consideration.
“I am confident that the FIA will address today, as I mentioned before, as an incident that provides us with a series of cases that need to be analyzed and considered ‘how to proceed?’
“Because we don’t want to witness another 2021. I thought that was not a positive aspect of Formula 1 races. It may have been fun, but not for the right reasons.”
