Lando Norris has called on F1 to come up with a solution to a “pretty stupid” rule after he was hit with a five-second delay penalty in Austria last weekend. Track limits were strictly enforced at the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix when Norris was caught running off the track after locking his wheels while competing with Max Verstappen for the race lead. As it was his fourth offence, he was given a five-second penalty – however, the decision to penalize Norris has been criticized because the moment he left the track occurred during a fight.

After illegally passing Verstappen, Norris immediately gave the position back to the Red Bull driver, causing him to question the need for another violation. “I got a five-second penalty for trying to pass and not passing properly,” Norris told the media. “I didn’t even know I got a five-second penalty. “I don’t even know why we had to take a five-second penalty before we retired the car. I didn’t even know what we did until after the race. Honestly, that’s pretty silly. “I tried to overtake, I locked, I went off the track – it’s just – I had to avoid the sausage-shaped curb. But I immediately gave the position back to Max, so I probably lost a second and a half doing that.

“It’s a pretty clear penalty. I lost by doing so.”
Norris eventually retired after his battle with Verstappen ended in a crash at Turn 3. However, the British driver protested his penalty and warned that it would deter drivers from overtaking in the future.

“If you don’t want us racing and you don’t want me trying to pass and you want a boring race, then you can make these rules,” he said. “There is a difference between leaving the track and racing to gain an advantage. “That part of the advantage gained is the most important. And then there’s giving up because you made a stupid mistake. “You didn’t judge things perfectly, but for me to get penalized for that, especially in a racing situation, especially when I lost more time, it’s unreasonable. “So I hope they fix this quickly, because I think it’s pretty stupid.”