Norris defends Verstappen's yellow flag call: 'I'd do the same'
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Lando Norris took full accountability for his costly penalty during the Qatar Grand Prix, admitting that he "f***ed it up" by failing to slow under the yellow flags while he was running second behind race winner Max Verstappen.
The McLaren star accepted the stewards' decision, which came after his Red Bull rival raised the issue over team radio, insisting he would have done the same had the roles been reversed.
Norris had been pursuing Verstappen since the start of the race when yellow flags were waved on the pit straight. The caution was triggered by debris—a dislodged wing mirror from Alex Albon's Williams—scattered across the track.
Despite being in contention for the win, the Brition was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty after an investigation concluded he had not adequately slowed down.
Speaking after the race, Norris was candid about his mistake and actually praised Verstappen for pointing it out to the stewards.
"Good, good on him," he said when informed of Verstappen's actions. "That's what everyone does. I would do the same."
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The penalty marked a pivotal moment in Norris's race. After reducing Verstappen's lead to just 1.2 seconds during their cat-and-mouse battle, the stewards' decision turned his day upside down.
The sanctioned dropped the McLaren charger from a competitive second place to the back of the grid. Despite mounting a remarkable recovery drive that included setting the fastest lap, Norris could only salvage two points with a 10th-place finish.
Elaborating on the incident, Norris admitted his disappointment but emphasized the fairness of the penalty.
"Disappointed of course," he said. "I've let the team down, the team gave me a great car today, easily the quickest out there, and I f***ed it up."
"I don't know what I did wrong. I'm not an idiot; if there's a yellow flag, I know I need to slow down. That's rule number one – you learn it in go-karts.
"For some reason, I didn't do that today, because I've not seen it or I've missed it or something. So I have to take it on the chin.
"They think I've done something wrong, I must have done something wrong. And I can only apologise for the rest of the year to the team."
The Briton's pragmatic reaction underlined his focus on accountability and professionalism, even as the incident dealt a blow to McLaren's Constructors' Championship hopes.
With Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing second and Oscar Piastri third, the Scuderia trimmed McLaren's lead to 21 points heading into next week's Abu Dhabi season finale.
Piastri's third-place finish offered some consolation, but Norris's misstep loomed large as the team now faces a tighter battle with Ferrari.
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