Miami Grand Prix sprint race pole-sitter Lando Norris will not receive a penalty after an investigation following qualifying.
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The McLaren driver was examined over whether he had driven “unnecessarily slowly” during the session but was ultimately cleared by the stewards.
The probe related to race director’s note number one, which sets a maximum time drivers must not exceed between the two Safety Car lines during qualifying. The note explains: “For the safe and orderly conduct of the Competition, other than in exceptional circumstances accepted as such by the stewards, any driver that exceeds the maximum time from the Second Safety Car Line to the First Safety Car Line on any lap during and after the sprint [race] qualifying, qualifying session, including in-laps and out-laps or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the sprint [race] and the race, may be deemed to be going unnecessarily slowly.
“Teams and drivers will be informed of the maximum time after the practice session. For the avoidance of doubt, this does not supersede Articles B1.8.5 and B4.1.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Regulations, which apply to the entire circuit, furthermore this includes the pit lane as well. Incidents will normally be investigated after the sprint [race] qualifying, qualifying session, sprint [race] or the race.”
The sequence under review occurred between Norris’s two runs in Q2. He locked up at turn 17 on his first attempt, then completed two slower laps before starting his final push lap.
Under the rules, drivers were not supposed to take more than 108 seconds to travel from the Safety Car line at pit exit to the line at pit entry. Near the end of his second slow lap, Norris’s race engineer, Will Joseph, told him that Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was on an out-lap ahead, might drop back.
Shortly afterwards Norris was passed on the straight approaching turn 17 by Nico Hülkenberg, whom he had not been warned about. Norris then eased off to avoid following the Audi too closely, which in turn allowed Gabriel Bortoleto to close in. The Audi driver made no comment about the McLaren’s pace.
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The stewards found that, considering the circumstances, Norris should not be sanctioned.
“Car one [Norris] failed to stay below the required time limit as stipulated by the Race Director’s Competition Notes,” they stated. “Car one was within the approved delta time for almost the whole lap until just before turn 17, where he was suddenly passed by car 27 [Hülkenberg]. That then forced car one to react to create a necessary and appropriate gap to set up a push lap.
“The stewards considered this an extenuating circumstance and determined that he did not drive unnecessarily slowly.”
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