REVEALED: THE TELEMETRY DATA BEHIND ANOTHER MAX VERSTAPPEN V LANDO NORRIS INCIDENT

Max Verstappen hindered Lando Norris in the pitlane at the Austrian GP, telemetry data and stewards confirmed.

However, the stewards dictated that the Red Bull driver did not deserve a penalty for an unsafe release against the McLaren driver.

The battle ended on lap 64, but it began long before that

Max Verstappen was given the green light to be released after his first pit stop on lap 24, when at the same time Lando Norris was coming down the pit lane to make the first of his two pit stops.

However, the Red Bull mechanics went to the limit to give the OK and it almost cost them a time penalty.

In fact, the stewards reviewed the action for “alleged unsafe release of Car 1 -Verstappen-“. And they could not rule out that Verstappen in fact “hindered” Norris. The McLaren driver’s onboard footage clearly shows that he had to brake slightly to avoid colliding with the Dutchman, as Norris told his team.

“He launched right into me! I couldn’t turn right into the box,” he said over the radio to his race engineer.

The telemetry we were able to get from Norris’ and Verstappen’s cars on the pit-lane also confirms this.

Normally, such an action would result in a 5-second penalty. But it was ultimately determined that no further action was incurred and therefore Verstappen avoided punishment with a manoeuvre that could have compromised his race long before the succession of dramatic events that led to both Verstappen and Norris making contact on lap 64 and consequently, the McLaren driver retired from the race.

This was the stewards’ explanation for the Austrian race, which did not see a breach of Article 34.14 a) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations which states: “Cars must not be released from a garage or pit stop position in a way that could endanger pit lane personnel or another driver.

“The Stewards reviewed video and in-car evidence. Car 1 was released from its pit stop station when Car 4 was approaching. There is a possibility that Car 1 hindered Car 4 on its approach to the pit stop.

“However, Article 34.14 a) specifies that a car is considered to be released in an unsafe manner if it could endanger pit lane personnel or another driver. This was not the case and therefore no further action is taken”.

It was certainly a busy race for the stewards who had to apply plenty of penalties over the 71 laps of the Austrian GP. And this one without a penalty was one of the most controversial.

It is difficult to find a similar precedent where a driver who obstructs another driver by alleged unsafe release is not penalised for not being “unsafe” in the pitlane. A place where drivers at such low speeds usually react quickly to avoid contact or damage to their cars – as Norris did to avoid Max’s car.

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2024-07-03T07:01:06Z dg43tfdfdgfd