FIA rejects McLaren's 'right of review' request for Norris penalty
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The FIA has rejected McLaren's request for a 'right to review' related to the five-second penalty handed to Lando Norris in last weekend's US Grand Prix in Austin.
The decision upholds the original ruling, which saw Norris penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while completing an overtaking maneuver on Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Having initially accepted the Austin stewards' decision, McLaren had a sudden change of heart and announced on Thursday that it had submitted a right to review.
The Woking-based outfit claimed to have uncovered "significant" new evidence that could potentially overturn the stewards' decision.
"We believe there is a significant and new element that was unavailable to us at the time the decision was made," McLaren stated, clarifying the rationale behind their petition for a right of review.
The appeal was heard via video conference at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday at 14:30 local time, where McLaren representatives presented their fresh evidence.
The basis of their argument centered around who was the overtaking driver in the incident. According to McLaren, their evidence supported that Verstappen was the overtaking driver, as Norris had already completed a pass on the Dutchman approaching Turn 12.
The stewards, however, were unconvinced by McLaren's argument. Their written decision outlined the core of McLaren's submission:
"In relation to relevance, McLaren appears to submit that the Stewards finding that 'Car 4 was not level with Car 1 at the apex' was an error and that Car 4 had overtaken Car 1 before the apex (and therefore that Car 1 was the overtaking car) and that this asserted error is itself, a new element."
The stewards rejected this claim, ruling that the new evidence presented was insufficient to warrant a review.
"McLaren appears to submit that the Stewards finding that "Car 4 was not level with Car 1 at the apex" was an error and that Car 4 had overtaken Car 1 before the apex (and therefore that Car 1 was the overtaking car) and that this asserted error is itself, a new element," read the stewards statement.
"This is unsustainable. A petition for review is made in order to correct an error (of fact or law) in a decision. Any new element must demonstrate that error.
"The error that must be shown to exist, cannot itself be the element referred to in Article 14 (of the ISC)."
The decision cements the results of the United States GP, where Verstappen retained third place and Norris settled for fourth.
As a consequence, Norris remains 57 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers' standings, with just five races left in the 2024 season.
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