Lando Norris was demoted from ninth to 13th at the Canadian Grand Prix after being given a five-second penalty for "unsportsmanlike conduct"; Watch the Austrian GP Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 11am on Saturday, followed by the Sprint at 3:30pm
Saturday 1 July 2023 09:52, UK
McLaren have lodged a petition for a right of review against the five-second penalty Lando Norris was given for "unsportsmanlike conduct" at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Norris finished the June 18 race in ninth, but was demoted to 13th after the controversial penalty was applied following the chequered flag.
The Brit was adjudged by stewards to have driven in an 'unsporting manner' when a Safety Car was deployed following George Russell's crash on lap 12.
Norris was behind team-mate Oscar Piastri on track, and was deemed to have slowed his pace in order to avoid losing time as McLaren pitted them both on the same lap.
With Safety Car conditions prohibiting overtaking, Norris was able to back off the throttle but maintain track position over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Williams' Alex Albon, who were stuck behind the McLaren.
The FIA confirmed on Saturday the first part of McLaren's hearing will take place on Sunday morning at 8:30am at the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, where the stewards are present this weekend.
McLaren will need to provide a "significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned" in order to force a second hearing, which would be at a later date.
Williams have taken up the option of "any other concerned party" to join the hearing, with the team understood to feel aggrieved over Albon being held up by Norris' actions.
Norris said after the race that the stewards' decision didn't "make sense", while McLaren team principal Andrea Stella accused the stewards of attempting to use the incident to "set a new precedent".
In a statement confirming their appeal on Friday evening, McLaren said: "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, analysing 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."
McLaren's announcement came almost two weeks on from the incident in Canada and just hours after Norris had produced a brilliant performance to qualify fourth for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.
Watch Austrian GP Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 11am on Saturday, followed by the Sprint at 3:30pm. Lights out for Sunday's race is at 2pm.
