Follow us on Google Discover Lando Norris is facing an unknown punishment at McLaren for the remainder of the season. That’s after he made contact with Oscar Piastri at the start of the previous race in Singapore.
Norris confirmed during Thursday’s media day that he would face ‘repercussions’ after McLaren reviewed the incident. There was no damage to Piastri’s car, but the team felt the manoeuvre didn’t comply with their racing philosophy.
Without revealing the exact details, McLaren have clarified that Norris will still have equal opportunity to win races. That suggests, but doesn’t confirm, that the new rules could be implemented in qualifying.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 336 2 314 3 273
Indeed, the consensus is that the consequences are sporting, rather than financial. Norris finished third in Singapore, one place ahead of his teammate, to narrow his championship lead to 22 points.
Martin Brundle assures McLaren fans that Lando Norris punishment isn’t ‘a big deal’
Speaking live on Sky Sports before the United States Grand Prix Sprint race, Martin Brundle said he’d found out ‘what the repercussions are’. But he declined to share that information on air.
He did, however, clarify that they aren’t ‘a big deal’, reflecting the tone of the team hierarchy. Some in the paddock have suggested that Norris has received preferential treatment, but this may dismantle that notion.
Intriguingly, Brundle added that the sanctions could be most evident at a race like Las Vegas, the third-to-last round of the season. McLaren have broken with F1 precedent by intervening in the title battle between their two drivers repeatedly in an attempt to maintain fairness.
“I do know what the repercussions are because it’s my business what’s going on in Formula 1,” Brundle said. “It’s not my business to say what they are. They’re not a big deal. It’s something that might play out in, I don’t know, Vegas or whatever.”
On Friday, Brundle said McLaren’s management was ultimately ‘doomed to fail’ given the presence of two ‘supremely competitive athletes’ in the same garage.
Max Verstappen could force McLaren into radical papaya rules change
After managing Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Toto Wolff doesn’t buy ‘good boy’ statements from F1 drivers in the press. Norris has acknowledged he was overly aggressive at the start in Singapore, but Wolff has hinted that he will still ‘go for it’ as he pursues his first title.
The complicating factor for McLaren is that Max Verstappen has re-emerged as a title contender. If he gets much closer, the team will face calls to start prioritising one of their drivers.
In the pre-race press conference, Verstappen joked that McLaren are favouring Norris. He may be playing mind games in an attempt to put further pressure on the newly-crowned champions.