Why Lando Norris wasn't penalized in Abu Dhabi

This was an action that could have been a game-changer in the title fight. Right in the middle of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lando Norris found himself, as expected, in the wake of Yuki tsunodaRequisitioned by Red Bull To slow down the Briton as he exited the pits, by extending his own stint, the Japanese driver's maneuver was intended to allow Charles Leclerc to return to the McLaren, in an attempt to overtake. Had the Monegasque driver succeeded, Norris would have dropped to provisional 4th place, and virtually lost the title to Max Verstappen.

Despite everything, Tsunoda's Red Bull couldn't withstand the repeated attacks of the Briton, whose McLaren was on form at Yas Marina. Trying to hold on until the end, the Japanese driver was finally overtaken by his rival off the track. The incident was quickly investigated by the race stewards, who ruled in favor of the Briton after a few laps. But why?

Lando Norris exonerated

Lando Norris did indeed leave the track limits with all four wheels between turns 5 and 6, thus gaining an advantage, which is theoretically a breach of Article 33.3 of the Sporting Regulations of the Formula 1The College of Commissioners, however, considered that Norris had been "Forced off-piste" and therefore had not actually exceeded the circuit limits of his own initiative, which excludes the penalty provided for in Article 33.3.

Yuki Tsunoda was the one who paid the price for this maneuver. According to the stewards, car number 22 made several line changes to defend, and without these moves, Lando Norris could have overtaken him while staying on track, without having to go wide to avoid contact. He therefore received a 5-second penalty.

In summary: the advantage gained by Norris was not considered “unfair” because the 2025 world champion was already in a position to overtake and only left the track to avoid an incident.

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