"We got the penalty... I am not unsportsmanlike": McLaren's driver Lando Norris
Jun 21, 2023
Montreal [Canada], June 22 : In the Canadian Grand Prix race on Sunday, McLaren driver Lando Norris was given a five-second penalty for his "unsportsmanlike behaviour" during the race.
The incident occurred when Lando Norris slowed down his car to allow his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to double stack in the race. Norris did this whilst the Safety Car was on the track.
"It was revealed that Norris was being investigated for an infringement under the Safety Car, with the stewards later handing him a five-second penalty for 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' - with replays appearing to show Norris slowing down under the Safety Car to allow McLaren to double stack him and Piastri," according to Formula 1 website.
Asked about the penalty incident, Lando Norris said, "I am not unsportsmanlike. Of course, we got the penalty, unfortunately, but we'll review that as a team."
"It wasn't like the pace was amazing, it was just enough to kind of, at times, catch some of the cars ahead. And when I had a chance to overtake, I did into the hair pain. It was exciting. It was close at times, even with Esteban, in the final corner. It was a tough start, but we came on better and better through the race. It was just enjoyable," he added.
Lando Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri said they struggled a little with tyre life again but there was a lot of learning from that race, both good and bad.
"All in all, it a shame to be so close to the points, but still learnt a lot. A shame to be so close, but I think our race pace was definitely better than Barcelona, for example. I don't know how difficult it is to be better than Barcelona, but I think overall we can be more positive about our pace," he said.