McLaren contests Lando Norris’ penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix

On Friday, at the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren filed a “right of review” request concerning the decision of the stewards to impose a penalty on Lando Norris for what was deemed as “unsporting behavior” during the Canadian Grand Prix.

After the incident caused by George Russell, resulting in the intervention of the safety car due to debris on the track following his collision with the wall, McLaren ordered Oscar Piastri and Norris to return to the pits to change tires. The latter was accused of intentionally slowing down to create enough gap and allow a double pit entry.

Therefore, Norris was given a five-second penalty and finished outside the points-paying positions, in 13th place. Meanwhile, Piastri crossed the line two places ahead of him.

“We can confirm that the McLaren Formula 1 team has filed a petition for a ‘right of review’ regarding Article 14.1.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code, regarding the decision of the stewards to impose a 5-second penalty on Lando Norris for ‘unsporting behavior’ under the safety car during the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix,” the Woking-based team announced shortly after qualifying on Friday.

Answer Sunday morning in Austria

“We fully support the FIA and the commissioners, and we trust them when they carry out a difficult task. We understand that the commissioners must make decisions within a short period of time, analyzing complex scenarios often with partial information and many factors to consider,” continues McLaren, before adding, “In Canada, we were surprised by the penalty and uncertain about the justification of the decision. We spoke to the commissioners immediately after the race to understand the reasons for the penalty.”

“After this thorough and detailed examination, we believe that there is enough evidence to introduce a ‘right of review’ with the FIA, which we have done,” McLaren concludes. The hearing in front of the FIA commissioners is scheduled for Sunday morning at 9:30 am.