‘It doesn’t make sense to me’ - Norris confused by Canadian GP penalty

Lando Norris was left perplexed by the F1 stewards’ decision to hand him a five-second penalty for “unsportsmanlike behaviour” which dropped him out of the top 10 at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 9, Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, Canada, Race Day.
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Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 9, Canadian…

Norris crossed the line in ninth, just behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, but dropped to 13th in the final classification.

The young British driver picked up a penalty after the stewards found that he had dropped too far back when coming into the pit lane under the Safety Car.

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Norris opened up a small gap to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who pitted in front of him, to reduce the impact of double-stacking in the pit lane.

Speaking about his penalty afterwards, Norris said: “It doesn’t make sense to me.

“I was three or four seconds down… I’m quite surprised. The rest of the race I was very happy with. There were some fun overtakes.

“Everyone leaves gaps [in safety car period]. It’s not like I was 10 seconds down on my delta. If it’s a delta-difference, people should be given penalties for the last three or four years.”

Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren MCL60 and Oscar Piastri (AUS) McLaren MCL60 battle for position. Formula 1 World Championship,
Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren MCL60 and Oscar Piastri (AUS) McLaren MCL60…

Penalty aside, Norris drove a strong race, pulling off some impressive overtakes on Piastri and then Valtteri Bottas into the hairpin.

He nearly got past Ocon on the final lap as well.

“It was always about making the most of one opportunity I had,” he added.

“It was a struggle, nothing was easy. Tough race, still managed to fight through which was nice.

“The pace was a bit better than the last few weekends. Hopefully we can take some step forwards next time out.”

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