05/07/2024
NEWS STORY
Lando Norris believes that if the FIA continues to crack down on track limits violations the racing is going to be compromised.
In the wake of the debacle that was the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, when there were over 1,200 violations that meant the final race order wasn't decided until hours after the chequered flag had been waved, the FIA introduced new measures for this year's event, which have been carried over to this weekend's British Grand Prix.
Last weekend there were far fewer violations, though Lando Norris received a black and white flag for repeated (3) violations and was subsequently hit with a time penalty.
Unfortunately, his clash with Max Verstappen as they battled for the lead meant his track limits penalty was widely overlooked, whilst coming too late for Red Bull to advise its Dutch driver and thereby allow him to ease off.
As rivals close in on Verstappen and his team we can expect more battles like that witnessed in Austria, however Norris fears that the FIA's current approach to track limits is going to compromise the racing.
"It's pretty silly, to be honest," the McLaren driver told reporters. "I've tried to do an overtake, I've locked up, I've gone off the track just, and tried then to avoid the sausage kerb," he said of last week's race. "Then immediately I gave the position back to Max, so I probably lost a second and a half in doing that. It's clearly not a penalty. I've lost out in doing such a thing.
"These sorts of things will avoid people racing," he warned. "If you don't want us to race and don't want me to try and overtake and have a boring race, then you can have these rules.
"I'm sure it's something that has already been brought up, because there's a difference between going off track and gaining an advantage and going off because you've made a silly mistake and you've not judged something perfectly," he added.
"The fact you get punished for that, especially in a racing situation, especially when I have given it up even more time, it just doesn't make sense. So, it's something I hope they fix quickly."
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