Lando Norris narrowly missed out on the podium at the United States Grand Prix after incurring a 5-second penalty. He landed himself in fourth place after receiving the penalty for gaining an off-track advantage. After the penalty, he did not stand on the podium despite crossing the finish line third. McLaren has filed to appeal this penalty and its repercussions.
Norris only needed to place above Max Verstappen to lessen the gap between the two. Unfortunately, he scored under Verstappen during both the sprint and the main race. The FIA’s call has been called controversial with talks around if it was warranted. Many people are calling the FIA out for double standards as Verstappen did not get a penalty.
McLaren files late appeal for Norris’ Austin penalty
Right after the United Grand Prix was finished, Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal said that they had no plans to file for an appeal. He said, “The decision cannot be appealed, so for us, the matter is closed. Myself, the drivers, and the team, now we close this chapter” (Motorsport).
However, right before the 96-hour deadline for the right to review was up, McLaren appealed. They will move forward with their appeal during a meeting with both the stewards and Red Bull representatives.
The International Sporting Code states that “if a significant and relevant new element is discovered which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned, the stewards who have given a ruling or, failing this, those designated by the FIA, may decide to re-examine their decision following a petition for review” (Article 14.1.1).
McLaren believes that they have that. When explaining why they filed for appeal Stella said that new information has come to light. The meeting is set for Friday at 2:30 P.M. (9:30 BST).
Why the FIA is not consistent with their penalties
On a podcast called Vankah Hours, Guenther Steiner Weighed in saying that he believed there should be a set panel of stewards. He mentioned high-level motorsports such as IndyCar and MotoGP, saying that they both have a set of permanent stewards. He called the current steward layout of Formula 1 “antiquated”. Lewis Hamilton, who has had the same issues with Verstappen, also spoke up about it.
Lewis Hamilton: „It’s interesting people are talking about it now because the same thing happened to me in 2021“
Louder for the FIA please!!!
pic.twitter.com/0KbYheUwZx— Stefanie (@fastpitstop) October 25, 2024
When Hamilton spoke about Verstappen and his driving, he noted that Verstappen had done this many times during a title fight. Hamilton and Verstappen famously went up against each other in 2021, with Verstappen claiming his first-ever World Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton said, “There has always been a grey area, that is why he (Verstappen) has got away with it for so long” (Independent). Most drivers seem to agree that Verstappen is using the “grey areas” of the rules and that the FIA needs to stop being inconsistent.
With the Mexican GP coming up this weekend, the title fight is ever more interesting with a potential three way battle at the top.
