€50,000 fine for Lando Norris after crossing the track
The McLaren driver, spun out on the first lap of the sprint race, had to retire. For crossing the track, the stewards imposed a very heavy fine of €50,000 on him this Saturday in Miami. €25,000 is suspended, only in the event of a repeat offense this season.
Lando Norris, driver for the McLaren team, has been given a reprimand for crossing the track during the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix this Saturday. The stewards have highlighted the danger of this action and imposed a fine of 50,000 €, with 25,000 € suspended subject to recurrence. A first reprimand has also been issued to Lando Norris, out of a total of 2 possible.
Indeed, during the Sprint race, the driver of car number 4 violated Article 26.7 b) of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations (published by the FIA) by crossing the track when there were no red flags, to return to the pits without the authorization of the stewards.
Following this incident, the stewards decided to punish the driver, not on a sporting level, by for example awarding him a penalty for Sunday’s race, but on a financial level. Thus, a fine of 50,000 euros was imposed on the British driver, of which 25,000 euros are suspended.
« This is the pilot’s first reprimand of the season. The driver has been fined 50,000 euros, with 25,000 euros suspended for the rest of the 2024 season on the condition that there is no other similar violation. » details the statement issued by the FIA.
Lando Norris also receives his first reprimand of the season for the two possible joker cards. The commissioners listened to the driver after summoning him, and during the hearing, Lando Norris became aware of the potential danger of his decision. The commissioners highlighted the seriousness of crossing a live track, endangering his own safety and that of other drivers.
The stewards explained the reasons: « After retiring from the race on the first lap, the driver of car 4 abandoned his car in the run-off area and walked back to the pits. He crossed a track that was open at that time. He did not have permission from the stewards to do so.
During the hearing, the driver of car 4 realized that the situation could have been very dangerous for him.
« The stewards emphasized that crossing a live track can lead to extremely dangerous situations and that drivers must be very careful in this regard. In addition to imposing a significant fine (suspended), the stewards also reprimand the driver taking into account the fact that by receiving a certain number of reprimands during a season, a significant sporting penalty will be applied in accordance with Article 18.2 of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations. »
