Lando Norris believes it’s time for common sense to prevail and for the FIA to reconsider how track limit penalties are handed out, or risk F1 becoming “boring”.
Last weekend’s high-profile clash at the Red Bull Ring between Norris and Max Verstappen dominated headlines after the Austrian Grand Prix.
Yet another key aspect of the McLaren driver’s race went largely unnoticed: Norris’ accumulation of track limit transgressions.
This ultimately led to a five-second penalty for the Briton when he locked up and went beyond the boundaries of the track while attempting to overtake Verstappen a Turn 3.
Despite immediately relinquishing the position to Verstappen, Norris was penalized. A sanction that left the one-time Grand Prix winner thoroughly unimpressed and calling for a more pragmatic approach to track limit policing to avoid stifling the racing spirit.
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“It’s pretty silly, to be honest,” commented Norris ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
“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.
“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. 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.”
©McLaren
With the track limits debate set to simmer at Silverstone, Norris remained hopeful that driver and team boss discussions with the officials could pave the way for rule tweaks.
“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.
“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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