Norris questions costly Qatar penalty: ‘No people were in danger’

Lando Norris has questioned the penalty he received in the Qatar Grand Prix, claiming "no people were danger."

Norris received a 10-second stop and go penalty at Lusail for not lifting under double-waved yellow flags, which indicate a driver should slow down and be prepared to stop as debris was on the pit-straight.

The penalty dropped him from second to an eventual 10th place as he took responsibility for the mistake. 

However, the McLaren racer indicated that no driver on the grid would have stopped in such a scenario.

"I get why there is such a severe penalty for it, but no people were in danger, it wasn't like there was someone on the track, it was a wing-mirror," he told media including RacingNews365.

"If it is something so severe, the race should be stopped with a VSC or safety car, it cleared and then continued, a double-waved yellow is be prepared to stop. 

"No one is prepared to stop when you're going 300kph, not one driver on the grid is prepared to stop. 

"I didn't see the yellow flag, I got the penalty and I paid the price, but I think everyone can agree that it is severe for what the actual danger was, but the rule is the rule."

Norris went onto further explain how the incident had unfolded and how he could not see the yellow flags.

"There was no yellow light that I passed, you can say that there was one, but there is no chance any driver could have seen that," he added.

"It was not ideal, and obviously I was pretty disappointed, I let a lot of people down but it happened, it is in the past and I have apologised to the whole team, you never want something like that to happen. 

"Normally, I think I'm pretty good with those kind of things, and would never take the risk, normally I am on the safer side of thing, so it was just unfortunate.

"It was difficult to see the yellow flags in the dark, but it is just a shame, it is happened and I feel like I've moved on pretty well. 

"That is the ruling but I know what the safety measures are, and in an ideal world, there could be some differences.