F1 News: Toto Wolff Addresses Lando Norris Penalty - 'Cost McLaren The Championship'

Saajan Jogia | 3 Hours Ago

Toto Wolff 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, Friday - LAT Images / Mercedes Press Image

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has called out the penalty levied on McLaren driver Lando Norris by the FIA, describing it as harsh since it could cost McLaren the Constructors' Championship victory. Wolff revealed that with the entry of Rui Marques as the governing body's new sporting director, he didn't mind his harsh approach towards infringements as long as there was consistency.

Marques took on his role at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which followed the controversial exit of former Formula 1 sporting director Niels Wittich. While drivers praised Marques's prompt response to their feedback in Nevada, the former F2 race director handled matters quite strictly during the race in Qatar, resulting in Norris rejoining the pack at the back.

The chaotic and confusing race probably added to Norris's woes. He received a 10-second stop-go penalty for not slowing down under the yellow flag after a wing mirror was dislodged from Alex Albon's Williams FW46 and landed on the track. Max Verstappen reported Norris's error after noticing that Norris had closed the gap to him during the yellow flag.

McLaren may have hoped to secure a decisive edge in the Constructors' Championship during the Qatar GP at Lusail, especially after a dominant 1-2 finish in the Sprint race. However, Norris's penalty dropped him from second to 15th on the grid, and despite a recovery drive, he could only manage a 10th-place finish. Meanwhile, teammate Oscar Piastri secured third, finishing just behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The penalty proved advantageous for Ferrari, which now trails McLaren by just 21 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

While Wolff was unaware of the details of the infringement, he described it as "brutal." He told Sky Sports F1, as reported by RacingNews365:

"I think the penalties were brutal, particularly to McLaren, could cost [them] the championship.

"I don't know what the infringement exactly was, most important thing is there is consistency, and if the race director comes in and he has a hard stance, that's okay as long as everybody knows that's the hard stance, and you need to comply to it."

2024 Qatar Grand Prix Results

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
4. George Russell, Mercedes
5. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
6. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
7. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
8. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber
9. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
10. Lando Norris, McLaren
11. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber
12. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
13. Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB
14. Liam Lawson, VCARB
15. Alex Albon, Williams
16. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas - DNF
17. Sergio Perez, Red Bull - DNF
18. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin - DNF
19. Franco Colapinto, Williams - DNF
20. Esteban Ocon, Alpine - DNF