Norris Calls For 'Harsher Penalties' As 'People Are Getting Away With Too Many Things'
F1Friday, 27 October 2023 at 15:00
McLaren driver Lando Norris called for "harsher penalties" after his friend George Russell got away with a five-second penalty for an illegal overtake during the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
Lando Norris seems to be outraged by an increasing number of drivers who go against the rules during both qualifying and battles on track.
There have been some voices recently saying the penalties for drivers are not harsh enough. Speaking to the media ahead of the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, Lando Norris said:
"It's your own fault [for passing off the track], but give [the place] back. If you took the risk of doing it, you're committed to doing it, then you give it back yourself straightaway or you're going to get a penalty."
Lando Norris also thinks penalties need to get harsher. The 23-year-old seemed to be referring to his friend George Russell specifically, who took both a three-place grid penalty before the race and a five-second penalty during the race.
"Penalties just need to be more harsh in general. People are getting away with too many things. You've got people in qualifying, it's three positions, people don't care about it really."
Russell went for an overtake in Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri during last Sunday's race, but he completed the move outside of the track limits, which secured him a five-second penalty.
In an ideal case scenario, Russell should have given the position back to Piastri. However, like many other drivers, he probably felt it would lose him more time and he would be better off just taking the 5-second penalty so he continued on.
At the end of the race, the Mercedes driver finished more than 20 seconds ahead of the next driver - Pierre Gasly, which meant the five-second penalty did not affect his race result at all. Norris added:
"If you want a quick enough car, you don't care if it's three positions. I just feel penalties in general need to be harsher. That's going stop people doing it. When you have three positions and a five-second penalty it doesn't stop you."
Russell admitted in his post-race interview that it is a problem that FIA needs to look into. The number 63 driver suggested a place-drop penalty as an idea.
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