Norris apologises to McLaren after penalty: 'I let them down'

Author of a solid start at the Qatar Grand Prix, Lando Norris could have scored enough points to offer McLaren the 2024 Constructors' Championship title. After easily overtaking George Russell, the Englishman went into battle for the lead of the pack held by Max Verstappen several times before settling comfortably into second place. A welcome podium potential to wrap up the championship before the last Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi.

That was without taking into account the Safety Car and its double yellow flag, a regime under which the Briton did not slow down. It was Max Verstappen who pointed this out on the radio, which earned the driver from Bristol a 10-second stop-and-go penalty from the stewards.

10 SECONDS OF STOP AND GO FOR NORRIS 😱

The Briton didn't slow down under the yellow flag!

He comes out last and lets Verstappen fly away to victory! #QatarGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/e36C62fEGJ

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) December 1, 2024

A decision he does not contest... “Honestly, I don’t know what I did wrong. Apparently, I didn’t slow down under the yellow. I’m not stupid: if I had known there was a yellow, I would have slowed down. I don’t know if I missed it or if I was stupid. But, yes, the rule is that if you don’t slow down under a yellow, that’s the penalty, so it’s a fair penalty.”, he said after the race from Sky Sports F1.

A "missed opportunity" for Norris and McLaren

In the McLaren vs. Ferrari For the Constructors' title, every point counts. Lando Norris' penalty deprives the Woking team of winning the championship in Qatar without waiting for the final Grand Prix of the year. Having started from last position, the Briton crossed the finish line in tenth place, but with the point for the fastest lap.

Disappointed, the three-time Grand Prix winner considered that he had " Let it go " the whole team and apologized. “The team gave me a great car today, so I'm grateful to them, Lando Norris confided. I'm disappointed because I couldn't have done worse than I did today and not given them the points they deserve, so I made the team's job a lot harder than it should be. The team is doing a great job, but I let them down. (…) I'm disappointed and I can only apologise to the team."

The English team sees the gap narrowing with only 21 points ahead of the Scuderia which is getting dangerously close to first place. The two McLaren drivers will therefore be under pressure for the last round of the season. We will have to wait until next week, after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to find out the new champion: Ferrari or McLaren?

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