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Why wasn't Leclerc penalized after his duel with Norris?

On lap 49, the battle between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris literally went overboard. The McLaren driver appeared to have been pushed to the outside, but no penalty was imposed on his Monegasque rival.

Published 14/04/2025 à 12:19

Mathieu Chambenoit

  Comment on this article! 7

Why wasn't Leclerc penalized after his duel with Norris?

© Eric Alonso / DPPI

At the finish of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lando Norris completed a podium composed of his teammate Oscar piastri, and George Russell, uncatchable on Sunday. Despite his 5-second penalty for poor positioning on the starting grid, the Briton finally got rid of Charles Leclerc after a long battle.

Ahead of the Monegasque for a good part of the first half of the race, Lando Norris was caught by the SF-25 on lap 25. Battling from 4th place, the Briton regained the advantage on lap 51 through patience, but could have easily passed on lap 49. Having gone off the track, Lando Norris was certainly hoping that the position would be given to him.

Charles Leclerc flirts with the limit

Coming out of Turn 4, a collision could have easily occurred between Leclerc and Norris. On the straight before this bend, the driver McLaren finally appeared well placed to catch up with his rival, but the hardest part remained to be done. Choosing the outside of the straight leading to Turn 5, Lando Norris had the best top speed thanks to a better-managed exit.

For his part, Charles Leclerc continued to squeeze his opponent along the line, to the point of slightly turning the steering wheel to the outside, forcing the number 4 driver to overlap, and even exceed the limits of the kerb beyond the white line. Despite a vindictive indication on the radio, Lando Norris would not win his case. Indeed, the driver of the Team being placed slightly in front of his opponent when closing his line, the latter is considered to have priority in the battle by the FIA ​​sporting regulations.

While this dispute didn't prevent Lando Norris from securing his podium place despite a failed qualifying performance, it serves as a reminder that, given the small points gaps seen at the start of the World Championship, the battle could well become increasingly fierce as the weekends progress. Like the three narrow points separating the two McLaren drivers, now first and second in the championship, this kind of action will surely not have the same consequences in the future.

ALSO READ > Vasseur believes Leclerc's Ferrari 'could have had at least Russell'

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Comment on this article! 7

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7 Comment (s)

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CLAUDE PLANCON

14/04/2025 at 09:13 a.m.

Not wrong, and when Charles was kicked out in the same way at the RB Ring by Max, no one flinched, or even when Lewis invited Max to visit the sandpit in England, the silence was deafening! It's racing, and the college of sporting stewards is sovereign, unless there is a complaint....

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Charles

14/04/2025 at 06:53 a.m.

Have you ever seen real car races, the ones from the 60s, 70s, 80s, maybe 90s? Don't listen to Villeneuve's comments, he forgot his father's match with Arnoult in Dijon, I was extraordinary there.

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charles

14/04/2025 at 06:37 a.m.

Have you ever seen a car race in your life in the 70s this kind of maneuver was common and no one cries today's drivers are not comparable to their elders the channel commentaries are ridiculous

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Checkered flag

14/04/2025 at 02:04 a.m.

So there are a lot of haters here, we'll see if you hold the same discourse when your darling uses the same defense tactics.

Yves-Henri RANDIER

14/04/2025 at 01:18 a.m.

It's surprising that he wasn't penalized because Leclerc moved under braking, and there's no need to consult the GPS data to see that! In any case, Norris was faster and should have passed eventually, and the overtake was clean.

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eric stevens

14/04/2025 at 12:49 a.m.

because they are big, biased idiots at the FIA, who apply double standards for penalties, who prefer to worry about their vocabulary rather than real safety (we don't even talk about the braking movement of the same Leclerc, the perfect son-in-law) in short, they are full of pride, too concerned about their image (which is nevertheless quite average), who are destroying the sport that they would have been incapable of creating! world of sh...

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Alain Féguenne (Luxembourg)

14/04/2025 at 12:41 a.m.

What can I say about this kind of duel... it was borderline...🤨👀, but Leclerc is lucky to be in a Ferrari... otherwise!!!!! 🤨👀😎👀🤨

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