“Get him disqualified,” Lando Norris demands a harsh penalty for Charles Leclerc for impeding during the Monaco GP qualifying

Lando Norris lost time while avoiding Charles Leclerc, who was slowing down in the middle of the track.

“Get him disqualified,” Lando Norris demands a harsh penalty for Charles Leclerc for impeding during the Monaco GP qualifying

Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris via The Guardian and The Telegraph

Qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix was a heated affair, keeping everyone at the edge until the last lap. However, a rather significant incident occurred in Q3, involving McLaren driver Lando Norris and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, while the former was on a flying lap.

Norris was limited to only a single run in Q3. This is because his mechanics had to spend time repairing his car after he brutally clipped the barriers in Q2. This left him crunched for time, needing to make his single flying lap count. However, while going through the tunnel, Charles Leclerc slowed down, blocking his path. This led to him losing a lot of time, only managing to qualify for 10th.

https://youtu.be/mib2eOo5oGU

When asked by Sky Sports after the session what sort of penalty the Monegasque’s actions warranted in his eyes, he jokingly said, “I don’t know, disqualified or something? I don’t know, there’s one rule which is don’t slow down in the middle of the tunnel, and that’s what he did, so not up to me.”

FS Video

Considering the significance of track position at Monaco, Lando Norris was unequivocal that any standard grid drop would unlikely impact his starting position. Charles Leclerc tentatively starts from P3 for Sunday’s race, and it is currently unclear whether or not he will be penalized for his actions.

Related: Toto Wolff gives major update on Mick Schumacher’s Mercedes future after rumours of Lewis Hamilton getting $50 Mil Ferrari offer

McLaren have their work cut out for them on race day

McLaren at the Monaco GP via Mint Lounge
McLaren at the Monaco GP via Mint Lounge

The team from Woking appears to have significantly improved coming into the race weekend at the principality of Monaco. Not too long ago, the papaya squad was qualifying in the bottom five cars and racing backmarkers. The Miami GP was a torrid outing, with both drivers finishing below P15. This is unacceptable for a team fighting at the top of the midfield in prior seasons.

However, as qualifying displayed, they seem to have put the last race’s misfortunes behind them and qualified much higher. Lando Norris put his car in P10 while narrowly edging out his teammate Oscar Piastri who will begin the race in P11. This puts them in a prime position to score points. Overtaking is difficult in Monaco, but given the frequency of incidents, a Safety Car is not out of the question.

Suppose the team can capitalize on any misfortunes on track and optimize their strategy in accordance with the Safety Car. In that case, some solid points are up for grabs, rather than a meager one or two that they are poised to score from their current positions. Both cars must avoid any on-track incidents, as while racing around the streets of Monte Carlo, the margin for error is virtually none.

Should Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri score some solid points at the Monaco GP, it would mark a quite successful comeback for them. It would be an immense morale booster for the garage going into the next couple of race weekends. The team strives to be much higher than the standings reflect, and Sunday’s race allows them to prove just that.

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