Stella recommends "proportionality" to the FIA after Norris' penalty in Qatar
On the back of a very strong showing from McLaren at the Qatar Grand Prix, the Woking-based outfit's team boss Andrea Stella recommends that the FIA "considers proportionality" after the hefty fine Lando Norris was given for a yellow-flag incident.
McLaren were favourites heading into the Qatar Grand Prix, with the Lusail International Circuit playing to the strengths of their MCL38 due to its long-radius medium-speed corners.
The team delivered in sprint qualifying and took an impressive one-two finish in the Qatar F1 Sprint before losing out in the main qualifying in which Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri only finished third and fourth behind Max Verstappen.
The British driver jumped to second at the start, and disappeared with Verstappen into the distance, but a yellow flag incident meant that he was hit with a ten-second stop-and-go penalty. After serving the penalty, he rejoined the field in last place, but showing eye-catching performance in the final stages of the race, he bounced back to take the last championship point.
His team-mate Oscar Piastri appeared to struggle to match Norris' pace all through the weekend, but the penalty for the Briton meant that he gained a position to finish in P3.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella sounded a positive note when assessing the MCL38's performance at the Lusail International Circuit, but he hopes that rules will be changed in the future following Norris' hefty penalty.
"The positives from today’s race are that we had a very strong car, and we were in contention for the victory. Oscar drove a solid race but was unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car, which dropped him behind Leclerc, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in racing.
"Lando was very fast, and the way he clawed his way back into the points after the penalty was impressive. It isn’t the result we wanted overall, but it is what we have."
Regarding the hefty penalty Norris received for the yellow-flag incident, Stella reckons that the FIA should reconsider the rules and apply proportionality in the future.
"Regarding the main incident of the race, the sector appeared to go yellow just as Lando entered it – but the requirements are clear, you need to lift and it’s the responsibility of the drivers to recognise they are in a yellow sector and back off.
"However, for the future, we would recommend that the FIA considers that proportionality and specificity should be guaranteed in any penalties that are applied. Moving on from that, we now go to Abu Dhabi. We remain focused and determined to finish the job as a team."
