McLaren team boss, Andrea Stella, expresses regret over Lando Norris’s failed qualification. The Englishman, who is in the fight for his first world title, will start from the seventeenth position in Azerbaijan. A yellow flag forced him to abort his fast lap in Q1, leaving him among the last five. Stella is not letting it go and plans to take the matter up with the FIA.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow,” the McLaren top man told Sky Sports. “Lando Norris‘s car will be at the back of the grid tomorrow. We will do our best to get back into the points and minimize the impact of this qualification, but it’s clearly a very unfortunate day for Lando. We are now going to discuss with the FIA why a yellow flag was shown at that time – it has cost us dearly.”
‘Should Not Have Happened’
“He was hoisted at the very last moment,” continued Stella. “We checked it in our systems. We will discuss with the FIA why a yellow flag was shown in that situation at all.” It was Esteban Ocon’s Alpine that caused a yellow flag, although the situation was under control when Norris passed. The 24-year-old driver had already reduced speed and aborted his fast lap.
“The yellow flag is not necessary at all when a car is just driving slowly,” said Andrea Stella. “I believe everyone did their best, but according to the regulations, this should not have happened.” Oscar Piastri, who was sure of a place in Q2, eventually drove to the second time. “We just have to keep going,” sighed the McLaren team boss. “We will do our best tomorrow to score a few good points.”
