Lando Norris is annoyed about the rules that let Carlos Sainz get away with a podium despite his own mistake – team boss Andra Stella with more moderate tones
Frustration for Lando Norris after the Monaco Grand Prix: But less because of the missed podium in the Principality, but because the Briton feels disadvantaged by the curious restart order that put Carlos Sainz back in front of him despite a puncture and a spin at the casino:
“Carlos was really lucky because he was last and it was his own fault. It was obviously annoying that he was allowed to go back in front because it meant I had to go back to fourth place,” said Norris, mourning the position he had initially gained after the collision between Sainz and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Norris thinks the rules at the restart are unfair: “Yes, but that’s the rules. It was the same when Pierre (Gasly in Monza 2020) won. He won because he was given a free pit stop on different tires,” recalls the McLaren driver.
With regard to Sainz in Monaco, Norris says: “But here he even made a mistake himself, he drove into Oscar and got a puncture. So that’s very lucky and I don’t think that’s the fairest thing. But I’m sure there have been moments in the past when I’ve benefited,” says the Briton.
“If you look at it bluntly, it’s obviously frustrating and unfair because someone makes a mistake – but because a certain number of cars, or whatever the rule is, don’t cross the line before the red flag comes out … blah, blah, blah, so he can undo his mistake and get a free pit stop. It’s just unfair,” Norris gets upset.
Alone: Norris doesn’t have a solution for how to get around the problem and create a fairer solution either: “I don’t know, it’s not my job. I just drive the car,” he says, adding: “I don’t want to deal with all this rules stuff, that’s not what I’m here for. “
Stella sees the FIA in the right and Sainz in luck
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella puts the brakes on his protégé after the race, the Italian taking a much more measured tone on the Sainz case – the FIA acted correctly according to the rules, he explains: “I think what the FIA did was the best thing they could have done.”
“It was in line with the precedents that we take the second safety car line when there is no sector time available,” Stella says, taking a sober view of the matter. Sauber driver Guanyu Zhou, unlike the rest of the field, had not yet left the first sector when the red flag fell due to the accident between the Haas drivers and Sergio Perez.
“I don’t think bringing up the mini sectors would be a good way to deal with it either,” says Stella. “Carlos was simply saved by the fact that Zhou had not yet crossed the sector line when the race was interrupted. Lucky Carlos … “
