Racing Icon Declares No Action on Lando Norris’ Canadian GP Clash Exposes FIA Nationality Bias

Ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya asserted that Lando Norris deserved stricter action from the FIA over his Canadian GP crash.

Racing Icon Declares No Action on Lando Norris’ Canadian GP Clash Exposes FIA Nationality Bias

Lando Norris (via McLaren), Oscar Piastri (via XPB Images)

The Canadian GP turned out to be a disaster for McLaren’s Lando Norris. The British driver collided with his teammate Oscar Piastri and was forced to retire from the race. This was detrimental to the 25-year-old’s championship position as he lost some crucial points. However, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the lack of action against Norris showed a potential nationality bias within the FIA.

In recent weeks, penalty points have become a source of controversy. Every F1 driver is allowed to have a maximum of 11 penalty points on their super license within a period of 12 months. A driver is immediately handed a race ban if he exceeds this limit. Max Verstappen is on the cusp of being banned for a race as he presently has 11 penalty points.

These points are handed for dangerous driving or for causing a collision on-track. Though, Lando Norris was not given any penalty points by the FIA for his clash with Piastri in Montreal.

Juan Pablo Montoya asserted that Lando Norris’ stupidity led to his incident with the Australian driver. However, the Columbian was not happy with race control. He declared that usually under such circumstances, the driver is given penalty points, but this was not the case with Norris.

What Lando did was really stupid. It caused a collision. Either you penalize it or you don’t penalize it. Are there levels where you can receive a penalty without points? Normally, anyone who does something stupid gets points on their driver’s license.

Juan Pablo Montoya told Casinohawks.com

Montoya cited Max Verstappen’s argument over potential nationality bias when it comes to penalty decisions. The Columbian reckoned that Norris’ Canadian GP incident was another example of how such claims might actually have substance.

This is what Max Verstappen always complains about, which is why he sometimes underlines the fact that nationality can make a difference in the eyes of the Commissioners.

Juan Pablo Montoya added

Lando Norris more prone to mistakes than Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri form one of the strongest driver pairings on the current grid. The two drivers are up against each other for the 2025 F1 title. Though, the Australian driver seems to have the upper hand this season. Piastri has won five races so far, compared to Norris’ two victories. Moreover, the 24-year-old has seemed more calm and composed compared to his more experienced teammate.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)

Juan Pablo Montoya insisted that Oscar Piastri was clever enough to be available to pick up the pieces whenever his rivals were having a hard day. On the other hand, Lando Norris finds himself stuck with virtually no margin for error. This pressure eventually cracks the British driver, who ends up making more mistakes than his teammate.

Oscar is always ready ‘to collect the pieces.’ Every weekend Norris seems faster, then the Q3 arrives and Piastri stands in front. At that point Norris puts himself in a position where he cannot go wrong and is the one in which you obviously make mistakes.

Juan Pablo Montoya stated

So far, Oscar Piastri seems to be the favorite for this year’s title. Lando Norris, who has raced in F1 for a lot longer than the Australian driver, is struggling to get up to speed. The Canadian GP crash would be another major blow to his confidence. Fans will hope that Norris is able to move on from the incident and focus on the bouncing back stronger in the upcoming races.

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