FIA explains Norris penalty, other decisions during Qatar Grand Prix

Tuesday, 03 December 2024 at 12:44

Lando Norris was slapped with a ten-second stop and go penalty during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix last Sunday which prompted fans and pundits to question the severity of the penalty.

Norris' penalty was not the only decision the FIA stewards took over the course of the Formula 1 race in Qatar last weekend.

The issues started when the side mirror from Alex Albon's Williams got detached and was stranded on the track at the start/finish straight.

That caused a double Yellow flag which Norris failed to abide by and which was pointed out by race leader and eventual winner Max Verstappen who noticed the McLaren driver got closer to him and reported that to the Red Bull Racing pitwall who in turn reported it to the stewards.

After that, Valtteri Bottas was moving aside as a response to a Blue flag but drover over the Williams' mirror shattering it and spreading debris all over the straight which caught out Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, both suffering from punctures which prompted the Race Director, Rui Marquez, to send out the Safety Car to allow for cleaning the debris as the drivers were led through the pitlane by the red Mercedes AMG GT Black Series.

Questions were raised as to why the Race Director did not send the Safety Car out once Albon's mirror fell off or at least announce a Virtual Safety Car to allow the marshals to go out on track and pick the mirror up.

Following the race, the FIA issued an explanation for the decisions the Race Director and the stewards took during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

There was also an explanation about the lights malfunctioning on the Safety Car in it final run.

FIA Statement over Qatar Grand Prix decisions

In the interests of transparency, a brief explainer on some of the key aspects of yesterday’s race:

Safety car deployment:

Normal practice is for the safety car not to be deployed if there is a small amount of debris, and off the racing line.
The extensive debris after a car hit the mirror and the punctures that occurred shortly after forced the decision on a safety car.
A VSC would not have been a solution, as the cars remain spread-out and there is not sufficient time for a marshal to clear the debris.
The FIA constantly reviews its methods and processes and will analyse further the specific scenario, and discuss it with the teams, in order to see whether in the future a different course of action needs to be taken.

Lando Norris penalty:

The penalty was in accordance with the penalty guidelines circulated to the teams on 19 February 2024.
A double yellow flag infringement is considered a serious compromise of safety, which is why such offences carry such a severe penalty

Safety Car lights malfunction:

During the 2nd safety car period, the lights malfunctioned.
All teams were verbally advised that the SC would be coming in, so the re-start took place in the normal fashion.
While the reason for the malfunction was identified and fixed, out of caution, the safety car was swapped in time for its 3rd deployment.

(Reporting by Agnes Carlier from Lusail, Qatar)