Max Verstappen stated that any potential penalty would have been investigated quickly, which contradicts what happened with Lando Norris during the F1 Qatar GP. The Dutch driver alerted his team that the McLaren behind him did not lift during the double yellow flags on the main straight. After Red Bull Racing confirmed it, they informed the stewards. Norris, who was in second place, received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty.
This caused him to drop to the back of the grid due to time loss. Despite returning to P10 and scoring two points with the best lap, the team suffered a significant setback in the title race against Ferrari. The F1 community has questioned the severity of the sentence imposed on the British driver. Max Verstappen reacted to the punishment and suggested bias against him.
The Red Bull driver received community service for swearing during an FIA press conference. Verstappen protested by providing one-word responses during the post-race press conference at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix. At the Qatar Grand Prix, Verstappen questioned whether Norris lifted under the yellow flag. After discovering that the Brit did not, the four-time champion requested that Red Bull submit the incident to the race officials.
Lando Norris escapes harsh penalty
Norris missed double yellows for track debris at Turn 1. When Hamilton and Sainz hit debris and punctured their tyres, a safety vehicle was called out. The F1 community criticised the FIA stewards’ rulings during the 2024 Qatar GP, claiming that the penalties were harsh. Lewis Hamilton received a drive-through for speeding into the pits. Max Verstappen was penalised for driving slowly on the out-lap.
The Dutch driver said, “I knew that I lifted because I saw the double yellow. And I know that, of course, if I hadn’t lifted, it would have been investigated straight away. So you’re just on it. I asked if he lifted because he had a DRS, I think, from a backmarker at the same time as well. It was just a normal question. And I know, of course, with double yellows, they’re quite strict.”
