Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, is urging the FIA to distinguish between different types of track limit violations. During the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren’s driver Lando Norris was penalized with a five-second time penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits, despite some of these actions being detrimental to Norris himself. This has raised concerns for Stella about the future of overtaking maneuvers.
While the aftermath of the Austrian Grand Prix was dominated by the collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, there was more to the battle between the two drivers. Norris, in his pursuit of Verstappen, crossed the track limits three times. When the British driver went wide again in turn 3 while attempting to overtake Verstappen, Norris was even handed a five-second time penalty.
Andrea Stella believes that the penalty given to his driver sets a dangerous precedent. “If a driver exceeds the track limits because he’s trying to overtake and he blocks a bit, I wonder what kind of racing we’re going to get. Especially if it’s enforced in this way,” Stella told MotorsportWeek. “Drivers won’t even try to overtake because it will cost them one of their three strikes.”
Stella Seeks a Solution
However, Stella believes that this track limit issue can be easily resolved. “It’s important that it’s addressed for the future. We want to see a distinction between track limits that are real because you’re trying to gain an advantage in terms of racing line, and limits that are associated with a significant loss of advantage because you went off the track,” concludes the Italian team principal.
