FIA rejects McLaren's request for Canadian GP 'right of review'
The FIA has rejected the McLaren team's request for a right to review the penalty handed to Lando Norris in the Canadian Grand Prix for "unsportsmanlike behaviour".
Norris was hit with a five-second time penalty in Montreal for slowing under the Safety Car regime during the race to create a gap to his teammate Oscar Piastri to accommodate an upcoming double-stacked pitstop by the McLaren pair.
The maneuver was investigated by the stewards who ultimately believed that it had impeded the Williams of Alex Albon and that it constituted a case of "unsportsmanlike behaviour" on the part of the British driver.
The sanction promptly threw Norris out of the points, which encouraged McLaren to dispute the penalty by submitting to the FIA "significant, new and relevant" information.
The team argued, among other things, that previous discussions had led to the understanding that Norris' conduct was within the norms of what has been accepted in the past, while also stating, with evidence, that Albon had not lost and positions as a result of what Norris had done.
McLaren also provided video, audio and GPS evidence involving eight other instances where a car made a gap that had a negative impact on a competitor without incurring a penalty.
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In a hearing that took place at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday morning, the FIA concluded that the evidence submitted by McLaren did not bring anything new, significant or relevant to the case involving Norris.
"Discussions, informal "gentlemen's agreements" etc cannot become binding unless and until they find their way into regulatory format, despite the good intentions of the parties concerned," said the FIA in a statement on Sundy.
"Officials may only clarify, through the medium, for example, of Race Director's notes, certain matters, in accordance with Article 12.2.1.i. Such clarifications cannot contradict an existing regulation.
"The citing of previous cases is, in our view, irrelevant to this particular case. Whilst there are cases cited where no penalty was applied, and cases cited by Williams where penalties were applied, each incident was different in some aspect, albeit sometimes in a minor way.
"What is most important to note is that the original penalty was applied in relation to what was considered an unfair action. None of the cases cited, address that issue of unfairness."
The matter is not subject to further appeal.
"We respect the FIA and Stewards' decision to uphold Lando Norris' 5-second time penalty at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix," McLaren said.
"However, we believe that we provided sufficient new, significant and relevant evidence to warrant a 'right of review'.
"We accept the Stewards' decision that this evidence did not meet their requirements. Whilst it is not the outcome we hoped for, we thank the Stewards for their time and collaboration."
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