McLaren Team Principal Demands Explanation From FIA After Lando Norris Q1 Disaster

Saajan Jogia | Sep 14, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; McLaren driver Lando Norris (GBR) races during FP2 practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has called for an explanation from the FIA regarding the yellow flags during the first qualifying session, which led to Lando Norris's elimination in Q1 during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying. The British driver's chances of closing the gap to Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Standings received a major blow after the incident, which will see him start from 17th place on Sunday.

Norris had to abandon his final lap after encountering Esteban Ocon's slow-moving Alpine at the exit of Turn 16. With four minutes remaining in Q1, he was sitting in eighteenth with a time of 1’43.609, just ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris returned to the track with over two minutes left, following closely behind Piastri.

As Norris prepared for his out lap, Esteban Ocon hit the wall at Turn 4, puncturing his tire, and was instructed to keep going. Meanwhile, Norris was warned about debris, and yellow flags briefly appeared as Ocon limped back to the pits.

On his flying lap, Norris was eight-tenths up but ran wide at Turn 16 just as a yellow flag was shown due to Ocon’s slow-moving car. Ocon slowed to let Norris pass, but Norris backed off, believing he was in a yellow flag zone, and abandoned his lap. Norris’ lap wasn’t deleted despite running wide, meaning he could have kept his time.

According to Stella, Norris going wide at Turn 16 was not the reason for his early exit in qualifying but the yellow flag scenario that wasn't "necessary." He told Sky Sports F1:

"The bitter element is that the other car is at the back of the grid tomorrow. We will do our best to get back into the points, minimise the impact, but obviously that was a very unfortunate moment for Lando today.

"We were discussing now with the FIA as to why a yellow flag was displayed at that moment in time, which was extremely costly.

"The team didn't say it because it was displayed last minute and we checked right now in our tools and it is actually displayed as a yellow, so we were in conversations with the FIA as to why that happened because the yellow flag isn't necessary when there's a car is just a slow car, it is not on a flying lap.

"Everyone tried their best I'm sure, this time there was a situation that ideally, and I think by the regulations, shouldn't have happened. We paid the price but we don't give up.

"We move on, we will do our best tomorrow to get some good points."