Norris Calls For 'Harsher Penalties' As 'People Are Getting Away With Too Many Things'

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:

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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.

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:

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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