Lando Norris has yet to fully come to terms with the events of the Qatar Grand Prix. He has apologized to the team but does not seem entirely convinced that the mistake he made warranted the severity of the penalty imposed.
“I confirm that I didn’t see any yellow light,” he explained. “Obviously, there was one, but I don’t think it was that visible. It wasn’t an ideal situation, and I was, of course, very disappointed and apologized to the team. You never want to get into these kinds of situations. I think I’m usually pretty good with this kind of thing, and we never take risks in these circumstances.”
Regarding the severity of the penalty, Lando Norris echoed sentiments shared by others in the paddock.
“The rule is clear,” Lando admitted. “I understand why there’s such a harsh penalty for these circumstances, but no one was in danger. There was no personnel on track, no one in a dangerous situation, just a rear-view mirror on the track.”
“If this is considered a serious situation, then the race should have been stopped. I know a double yellow flag requires you to be ready to stop, but at the same time, we all know no one is ready to stop at 300 km/h. In the end, I didn’t see the yellow flag, I got a penalty, and I took it. But I think everyone can agree it was a harsh punishment given the circumstances.” – he said ahead of the Abu Dhabi weekend.
Lando aims to start the weekend free from the Qatar controversy.
“It’s great to be here fighting for such an important achievement,” he said. “I don’t want what happened in Lusail to have any consequences; we’re working hard to make sure it doesn’t. There’s much more pressure from the outside than within the team, but we’ve been under pressure almost all season. I’m sure everyone on the team feels a bit more nervous ahead of the final race; I think that’s natural. But at the same time, I believe we’ll work as we always do. I’m proud of the whole team, and we’ll keep doing what we’ve done so far.”
This season, Norris has faced several disappointments that have affected his standings in the Drivers’ Championship, but the opportunity to contribute to McLaren’s first Constructors’ title in 26 years is not lost on him.
“Maybe in twenty years, I’ll appreciate this moment more—being part of a battle between Ferrari and McLaren is something to be proud of. I’ve always been very proud to race for McLaren; I’ve done so my entire career, and it’s always been an honor. I think it’s the same for everyone who drives for Ferrari. We want to win, and Ferrari wants the same thing. Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a movie about all this in 20 or 30 years.”
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