McLaren lodge right of review over Norris penalty | Hearing date set

Norris was hit with a five-second time penalty for slowing down too much under the Safety Car on Lap 12 of the race in Montreal, which gave his team more breathing space to perform a double-stack pitstop. 

The punishment for “unsportsmanlike conduct” dropped Norris out of the points after he finished ninth on the road. 

Norris was left baffled by the decision and claimed the stewards wanted to set a new precedent. 

12 days after the penalty, and having conducted “comprehensive due diligence”, McLaren have now exercised their ‘right of review’. 

Competitors are allowed to request a right of review up to 14 days after a ruling from the stewards providing “a significant and relevant new element is discovered which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned”.

McLaren's hearing over their right to review request will be heard by the FIA on Sunday morning ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. 

McLaren’s statement in full

“We can confirm that the McLaren Formula 1 Team has lodged a petition for a “right of review” regarding to Article 14.1.1 of the of the FIA International Sporting Code, on the Stewards’ decision to impose a 5-second penalty on Lando Norris for “unsportsmanlike behavior” under the Safety Car at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix.    

“We are very supportive of the FIA and the Stewards, and we trust them while they carry out what is a difficult job. We appreciate Stewards need to make decisions in a short timeframe, analyzing complex scenarios and often with partial information and multiple elements to consider.    

“In Canada, we were surprised by the penalty and uncertain as to the rationale behind the decision. We spoke to the Stewards immediately after the race to help understand the reasoning for the penalty.   

“The FIA’s regulatory framework has tools and processes which allow them and the sport to deal with the operational complexity of Formula 1, especially for decisions which need to be made during the race. The “right of review” is one of those processes which showcases the strength of the institution in allowing decisions to be reviewed, should that be in the best interest of the sport and this is something McLaren fully embraces and supports.   

“Given this provision, the team took the initial explanation onboard and decided to review the case in a calm and considered manner, performing comprehensive due diligence, which included looking at the precedents. After this careful and extensive review, we believe enough evidence exists to a submit a “right to review” to the FIA, which we have done so.   

“We will now continue to work with the FIA closely, in the same constructive and collaborative manner in which we normally do, and will accept the outcome of their deliberations and decision.”