Lando Norris was left stunned after an ‘unbelievably harsh’ penalty cost him the chance of victory at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Losail circuit on Sunday having taken the lead at the start from polesitter George Russell.
Norris remained on the Dutchman’s tail all race long until the closing stages when the Brit was slapped with a 10-second stop go penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags.
While it seems he did not lift when required, many was stumped by the severity of the penalty, with a stop-go the harshest punishment one can receive and not in keeping with past penalties.
Speaking on Sky Sports, 2009 champion Jenson Button called it: ‘Unbelievably harsh’.
The penalty meant that Norris could not longer challenge Verstappen and dropped him to the back of the grid though he was able to recover to finish 10th and secure the fastest lap bonus point.
Speaking after the race, the McLaren driver was at a loss to explain what happened but took his punishment on the chin: ‘Honestly, I don’t know what I’ve done wrong at the minute.
‘Apparently I didn’t slow under the yellow. I’m not an idiot, if I knew there was a yellow, I would have slowed down.
‘I don’t know if I’ve missed it or just been dumb, but the rule is, if you don’t slow down under the yellow that’s the penalty, so it’s fair penalty.
‘The team gave me a great car today, so I’m thankful for the team. Disappointed that I couldn’t have done a worse job than I did today, and not give them the points they deserved.’
Norris was later quoted as saying: ‘I f****d up’.
With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishing second and Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri third, the constructors’ title battle will go down to the last race in Abu Dhabi, with McLaren leading Ferrari by just 19 points.
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