McLaren’s Andrea Stella expressed his disappointment with the FIA stewards for issuing Lando Norris a five-second time penalty.
Norris received the penalty for leaving the track while overtaking Max Verstappen in the closing laps at the Circuit of the Americas.
Stella criticized the stewards’ involvement, describing it as “inappropriate,” noting that both drivers gained an advantage by going off track.
While Norris’ penalty for the off-track maneuver was undeniable, the stewards faced challenges in determining which incidents warranted penalties throughout the race, especially as drivers utilized tarmac escape areas.
Pierre Gasly also received a penalty for an off-track overtake, while George Russell was penalized for forcing another driver off track in a situation similar to Norris and Verstappen’s.
Interestingly, Verstappen had previously crowded Norris off at Turn 1 without any stewards’ action being taken.
Stella lamented the impact of the penalty on their podium hopes and stated that they had accepted the situation after being pushed off at the first corner.
He concluded that they would not appeal the decision and were moving on to the next race.
When asked if they considered having Norris relinquish the position to attempt another overtake, Stella affirmed their belief that the maneuver was valid since both cars went off track.
After the race, Norris refrained from criticizing Verstappen but acknowledged that the Dutch driver had both overtaken and defended by going off track.
He expressed the need to review the incident, recognizing the complexities involved and reiterated that he wouldn’t complain, appreciating the competitive nature of the race.
