Formula One officials insist Yuki Tsunoda’s erratic driving left Lando Norris with little choice but to leave the track after explaining why the Briton avoided a five-second penalty that could have cost him the world title. Norris finished third behind Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch his maiden world championship.
But eyebrows were raised midway through the race when Norris was forced to take evasive action to overtake Tsunoda and illegally left the track. Red Bull’s Tsunoda was doing his best to help teammate Verstappen win the world title and changed directions multiple times on the straight between Turns 5 and 6 to prevent Norris from passing him.
Lando Norris (L) won his maiden F1 world title after escaping a penalty for exceeding track limits when he overtook Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda (R) at the Abu Dhabi GP. Pic: Getty/F1
The McLaren driver had the pace though and still managed to make it through, despite all four wheels crossing beyond the white line on the left-hand side of the track. Under other circumstances it could have resulted in a crucial five-second penalty to Norris for exceeding track limits.
Both drivers were investigated by stewards, Tsunoda for defending his position by employing more than one change of direction, and Norris for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. But F1 officials explained why only Tsunoda was sanctioned. “The driver of Car 4 overtook Car 22 off track,” the stewards’ report stated.
“However, this occurred because the driver of Car 22 made multiple moves defending his position against Car 4. Had Car 22 not made those moves, Car 4 would have overtaken it without going off track but moved off track to avoid contact with Car 22.
“Further, the driving standards guidelines provide that if a car is ‘forced off’ (which is essentially what happened) it is not considered to have exceeded track limits. Whilst technically the overtake took place off track, we determine in view of the above, to take no further action.”
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Norris was ultimately seven seconds clear of fourth-placed Charles Leclerc under the chequered flag, meaning a hypothetical five-second penalty may not have cost him the world title anyway. But it’s impossible to say with certainty whether the outcome would have been the same if the Briton was penalised.
The ruling proved particularly divisive for F1 fans, but McLaren CEO Zak Brown was adamant officials made the right call when speaking after the race. “I think it was clearly the right decision. That was a dangerous and unnecessary manoeuvre,” Brown told Sky Sports F1.
“It’s a team sport, so I’m not surprised the second car is going to help out, but there’s got to be a limit. They’re not driving the car so you’ve got to put that one on Yuki for, in my opinion, going over the line. That was a dangerous manoeuvre, but we’re all good now.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris was emotional after clinching his maiden F1 world title after finishing third in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP. Pic: Getty
Norris was also confident he’d done nothing wrong, and the McLaren driver was understandably emotional after winning his maiden F1 title. In a classy post-race speech, the Briton praised teammate Piastri for pushing him to greater heights in a brilliant season for the Aussie that saw him finish third overall after seven race wins.
“I’m glad I’ve had Oscar as teammate the last three years, because even though he’s still a lot newer to it than me, I’ve learned a lot from him, and he showed me up many times,” Norris said. “I wouldn’t be the driver I am today without that… At some point, he’s going to get the better of me, because he’s an incredible driver.”
with agencies