FIA deliver McLaren punishment after pit lane incident at Silverstone

McLaren have been hit with a €1,000 fine and a warning after a pit lane incident involving Lando Norris at the start of final practice at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Norris was instructed to stop the car over team radio at the end of the pit lane at the start of FP3, with a mechanic soon arriving to remove a piece of material attached to the rear of his MCL60 car.

Although Norris’s session continued uninterrupted and he went on to be classified 12th in a rain-affected session, the British driver had already crossed the white line at the end of the pit lane with mechanics prevented by regulation from touching the car when it is past that point.

McLaren get away with fine and warning after Lando Norris incident

McLaren were ordered to visit the stewards at 12:40 local time, with the stewards delivering their verdict within 30 minutes.

A stewards’ statement read: “The Stewards reviewed video and the marshal report.

“Car 4 was released by the team with a fitting from the garage still attached to the rear of the car and while the car was still in pit lane told the driver to stop the car. The driver stopped the car at the very first safe location which was at the end of pit lane just past the pit exit line.

“The Stewards note that he was prevented from stopping earlier, prior to the pit exit line, because of photographers standing in the working area past the final team location.

“The Stewards consider that releasing the car with a sizable part loose on the rear of the car was incorrect. However, the prompt action of the team to stop the car in the pit lane mitigated the potential unsafe condition and the Stewards therefore only issue a warning.

“The team sent a mechanic to retrieve the part off the car. In doing so, he crossed the pit exit line and touched the stopped car and technically was on track when he did so. Following that he then stepped to the front of the car and stopped the driver from proceeding until he signalled that it was safe to do so.

“This section of the track at this venue is entirely safe, and so what he did was not unsafe, and indeed he ensured the safety of the other competitors by his actions. However, the team did not seek or receive permission from Race Control to have personnel on the track, nor did the mechanic seek permission of the marshal on scene.

“This has not happened recently in Formula 1, and in issuing a €1,000 fine the Stewards have considered in mitigation that the car was prevented from stopping before the line, and that the actions of the mechanic, while a clear breach of the regulations, were deemed safe at all times.

“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.

“Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence presented.”

Appearing on Sky Sports F1’s television coverage of the session from the McLaren pit wall shortly after the incident, chief executive Zak Brown played down the incident, describing it as a “mishap.”

He said: “That was connected to the exhaust so that was a little bit of a mishap. Fortunately no damage done.”

Asked if he feared a fine as a result of the incident, he replied: “You never know. I’m sure we’ll get a little bit of talking that that’s not what we should be repeating. Whether it comes with having to buy [the stewards] lunch or not, we’ll find out soon.”

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Norris entered his home race after securing his best result since Singapore 2022 in Austria, where he finished fourth in a heavily upgraded McLaren as the team look to get their season back on track after a slow start.

With McLaren embarking upon an ambitious three-race upgrade plan between Austria and the next round in Hungary, Norris has moved on to the second step at Silverstone with rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri running the updates Norris used to good effect at the Red Bull Ring.

Piastri was classified in the top 10 in both practice sessions at Silverstone in the dry on Friday, with Norris eighth in FP2 before slipping to 14th in FP2.

Norris has made five F1 appearances at Silverstone since arriving on the grid in 2019, recording a best finish of fourth in 2021.

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