Google News Vasseur doesn’t want to give up: "Norris clearly needed to be punished"
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The driver of the McLaren, Lando Norris, crossed the white line at the entrance to the pit at the Grand Prix of Russia, but only got away with a warning. For Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur, this is scandalous. For years, there have been unpleasant surprises among Formula 1 drivers and team bosses: the rules are not the same for everyone.
The latest example: Lando Norris wanted to get into pit but crossed the white line, to come to a tire change. Clear violation of the rules. The referee's verdict was just a warning. That’s why the boss of Alfa Romeo is furious, because the Frenchman knows: for such an offense, a five-second penalty is usually imposed and a penalty point is added.
This is exactly what happened to their driver Kimi Raikkonen at the Mugello 2020. “Overall, I’m sorry the race ended for Lando, because he showed a fantastic weekend. But I see no reason to deviate from the usual punishment for that.
The rule is crystal clear - crossing the (white) line is a punishment and that's it, "explains Vasseur. “We saw this with Hamilton in Hockenheim in 2019, with Kimi in Mugello in 2020, with Tsunoda in Spielberg in 2021.
However, Yuki’s penalty was not as bad as Norris’s in Russia."
Explanation
"The Japanese touched the white line with one point, did not endanger anyone's safety, did not gain time. However, he received a punishment and no one was embarrassed, simply because the rules on that issue are clear, "he added.
"On the other hand, Norris gained the advantage of crossing the line because he would have wasted a lot of time doing another lap on the wet track on dry tires." "Such judgments do not make Formula 1 look good, and when a decision is made, one must certainly take into account whether the driver has gained an advantage or not." "Too many questionable things have happened in the last few weeks.
In the qualifiers for Monza, Mazepin blocked our Giovinazzi. There was no penalty because the team did not inform Nikita." "It's a joke! Three years ago in Monaco, Antonio was punished for the same offense. At the time, no one was talking about whether Antonio had been warned or not, ”Vasseur said.
"We have to stick to the rules and that's it. I understand that many of the rules are complicated and that there is room for different views on some issues. But if the rule of punishment is to cross the boundaries of the track, then we should act accordingly. "
