The previous race director would have imposed a penalty on Norris.

The previous race director would have imposed a penalty on Norris.

      "I’m somewhat surprised that nothing occurred."

      Lando Norris has reason to feel fortunate that Niels Wittich is no longer the race director in Formula 1. At the conclusion of the Japanese GP, while he was in second place behind Max Verstappen and ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, Norris bypassed the famous Suzuka chicane. He retained his position and was not penalized.

      "You can see that he’s still anxious in the car," remarked former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher. Wittich believed that Norris should have been penalized as well. "To be honest," the German, who was abruptly removed as race director towards the end of last season, told Sky Deutschland, "from my perspective, Lando should have allowed himself to drop back (behind Piastri).

      "I’m a bit surprised that nothing transpired," he added. "The usual consequence for something like that would be a ten-second penalty."

      There has also been considerable discussion about whether McLaren should have permitted the slightly faster Piastri to overtake Norris and attempt to challenge Verstappen earlier in the race. McLaren’s pit strategy has faced criticism too. "I believe they are really too cautious," said former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos on Ziggo Sport. "Similar to Villeneuve, it seems like they didn’t even attempt to win.

      "It looks like they are focused solely on defending the constructors’ title. That is their prerogative, but it’s not particularly beneficial for the sport." Doornbos believes that Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, should also be enraged that McLaren prioritized a stable race outcome at Suzuka instead of allowing Piastri to compete for the victory.

      "I immediately messaged Mark," the Dutchman stated. "I told him that I don’t anticipate he will approve of that at all. I won’t share his response..."

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The previous race director would have imposed a penalty on Norris.

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