Lando Norris labels Austrian GP penalty as ‘silly’ over track limits against Max Verstappen

Lando Norris was left frustrated after being given a five-second penalty at the Austrian GP.

Lando Norris labels Austrian GP penalty as ‘silly’ over track limits against Max Verstappen

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

The Austrian GP was a dramatic race for Max Verstappen and Lando Norris as they collided during the race. Before the crash, Norris received a five second penalty, which he considered as silly as he battled it out for victory.

Lando Norris was surprised to learn about the five-second penalty he received for violating track limits. The Briton explained that he wasn’t aware of the penalty until the end of the race. Nor did he understand why the penalty was applied before his retirement from the race. Norris described this situation as pretty silly highlighting the frustration with the penalty process.

I didn't even know I had the five-second penalty. I didn't even know why we served the five-second penalty before we retired the car. I didn't even know that's what we did until after the race. That's pretty silly, to be honest.
Lando Norris said, as reported by RacingNews365
YouTube video

Lando Norris explained that during his attempt to overtake Max Verstappen, he locked up his brakes, causing him to go off the track. To avoid further penalties, he quickly gave back the position to Verstappen, this move cost him about one and a half seconds. Because of this, Norris actually lost time instead of gaining any advantage, even though he tried to pass Max Verstappen at first.

FS Video
I've tried to do an overtake, I've locked up, I've gone off the track - just - I’ve had to then avoid the sausage kerb. But immediately I gave the position back to Max, so I've probably lost a second and a half in doing that.
Lando Norris added

Lando Norris claims there’s a difference in going off track and gaining advantage

The young Briton was seen frustrated because of the rules, he felt it discouraged aggressive racing and overtaking. The McLaren driver argued that there’s a clear difference between going off track to gain an advantage and racing hard to make a genuine pass. Norris reckoned that punishing every aggressive racing move could make drivers more careful and less willing to take risks. He highlighted if rules continue to prioritize penalizing overtakes, it could result in races that are less thrilling and more predictable. This will make Formula 1 boring and less exciting.

If you don't want us to race and don't want me to ever overtake and you want a boring race, then you can have these rules. There's a difference between going off track and racing and gaining an advantage.
Lando Norris expressed
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

Further, Norris highlighted that what mattered most was whether a driver gained an advantage during a race. He distinguished between two situations, making a mistake and going off track without gaining an advantage. Racing hard where there was an attempt to overtake, even if it involved a minor mistake. Lando Norris felt it was unfair to be penalized for small errors. The Briton believed that in the heat of racing, these penalties didn’t make sense and could discourage drivers from pushing the limits to entertain fans.

It's the gaining advantage bit which is the most important. And then there's the going off because you've made a silly mistake. You've not judged something perfectly, but the fact I get punished for that, especially in a racing situation, especially when I've given up even more time, it doesn't make sense.
Lando Norris added

Certainly, Lando Norris felt stewards must discontinue penalizing drivers after making small errors. This demotivates the driver to continue further and it is also disappointing for fans to watch such a race. However, fans are excited for Norris’s comeback in the upcoming British GP as it is his home race.

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