Drivers complain about trackside advertising stickers in Monaco
McLaren driver Lando Norris is calling on the organizers to find an alternative to the advertising stickers that caused problems this weekend in Monaco. Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc were also affected by the stickers coming off the barriers and falling onto the track.
This weekend, during the Monaco Grand Prix, Formula 1 drivers faced a somewhat unexpected and potentially dangerous problem: advertising stickers coming off the barriers and falling onto the track. Lando Norris was one of the first to report these incidents and call on the organizers to find an alternative to these problematic stickers.
During qualifying, several drivers were affected by these flying stickers. Charles Leclerc had to return to the pits to remove a large piece of sticker stuck on his front wing, while Lando Norris also had to have a sticker removed from his car.
« We made a pit stop, removed the sponsor banner from the front wing, and then we resumed (the race), explained Charles Leclerc after qualifying. « It was already quite tricky, because in Monaco qualifying, you just want to be on the track and do normal laps. I was praying that there wouldn’t be any yellow or red flags after that. Fortunately for me, it went well. »
Sergio Pérez, on the other hand, lost time avoiding these obstacles on the track, this is in any case what he indicated as one of the reasons for his 18th position.
Lando Norris spoke out on this situation, stressing the unacceptability of such incidents in Formula 1: « It shouldn’t happen in Formula 1 »,” he told journalists after qualifying fourth on Saturday. He also highlighted the impact it can have on the drivers’ performances, stating: « It’s a shame that you have to be lucky (not to hit a sticker, Editor’s note) ».” The Briton insisted on the need to find a better solution than stickers to prevent such incidents from spoiling the course of a race weekend. « There’s nothing I can do, it can ruin your race in a minute. »
Andrea Stella calls for immediate action
McLaren’s team boss Andrea Stella reinforced Norris’s comments, highlighting the importance of resolving this issue quickly: “« It should not happen that the car is compromised by this kind of problem. »” Stella highlighted the negative consequences of these loose stickers on the cars’ performance, calling for immediate action to ensure the safety of the drivers and the smooth running of the races.
Pilots already have to deal with a narrow and demanding circuit, and unforeseen obstacles such as flying stickers only add to the complexity of the competition. It is understood that drivers are asking the organizers to quickly find a suitable solution to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.
