Brazilian GP: the FIA’s decision on Norris and Russell sparks debate

by Letizia Ganci

The Brazilian GP left a lot to remember, as well as much to reflect on: among the topics, the penalty imposed on the two British drivers caused quite a stir.

To describe the weekend at Interlagos, which saw Max Verstappen return to the podium after a ten-race absence, one word would suffice: chaos. The event at the circuit named after José Carlos Pace provided pure entertainment for fans, but it was also marked by several controversial decisions from the race control that sparked debate among enthusiasts. One such decision involved an investigation into drivers number 4 and number 63, who allegedly left the track for an extra formation lap despite receiving a notification of the canceled start from the FIA following Lance Stroll’s off-track incident during the first formation lap.

In addition, just before the Brazilian Grand Prix, the official announcement of theinvestigation by the Federation into Charles Leclercwho allegedly used a inappropriate language during the post-race press conference in Mexico; in that case, the penalty imposed on the Monegasque driver consisted of a fine amounting to € 10.000, a figure that is significantly higher than the fines imposed on Lando Norris and George Russell during the Brazilian GP for a procedural infraction, which carries much greater severity and could have been addressed by the FIA by registering to the two drivers from McLaren and Mercedes, starting from the front row, a fine of €5,000 each and a reprimand..

An assessment that only adds to the many negative discussions surrounding the Federation, which have persisted for some time, especially after a weekend filled with “inconsistentdecisions.

Brazilian GP: Lando Norris and George Russell were investigated for starting despite the "aborted start" indication.
Brazilian GP: Lando Norris and George Russell were investigated for starting despite the “aborted start” indication.

From the official statement issued by the race stewards, it is clear that: “The FIA Race Director initiated the aborted start procedure, indicating that the drivers were not to leave the grid. This message was necessary because there was a car off-track at Turn 4 (STR) that needed to be recovered. Although the signal was given appropriately, the light panel illuminated as expected, and teams were notified through the messaging system, one driver left the grid and proceeded on a lap that he presumed was an additional formation lap “.

Since the driver was in the front row, this prompted the following drivers to take similar actions. At one point, the Race Director, realizing that for practical reasons all cars would need to complete an extra formation lap, instructed the teams to have all cars proceed and return to the grid to properly follow the aborted start procedure. According to the stewards’ opinion, the driver NOR in question directly caused the actions of the drivers immediately behind him on the grid ” concludes the statement, thereby placing full responsibility for the violation of the starting procedures on Lando Norris, who was starting from pole position.

The FIA’s decision regarding the two Racing Bulls

The same punishment applied to Lando Norris and George Russell during the Brazilian GP, however, was not the result of the investigation (for the same reason) concerning the two drivers from the Faenza team, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, who “according to the stewards’ opinion, although the driver violated the regulations, this was influenced by the driver in front of him and, therefore, he was not predominantly responsible for the violation. Consequently, the stewards decided not to take further action, having deemed the driver immediately ahead of him at fault “; thus not sanctioning the two Racing Bulls drivers in any way.

Photos: Formula 1.

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