NEW F1 jump start claim emerges after Norris escaped Saudi scandal

Lando Norris with McLaren car in 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

NEW F1 jump start claim emerges after Norris escaped Saudi scandal

Lando Norris escaped Saudi Arabia without punishment

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Sunday 17 March 2024 10:55

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Another Formula 1 star has been dragged into the jump start scandal that left fans confused during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Lando Norris had initially looked nailed on to pick up a jump start penalty at the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after appearing to stumble off the line before the red lights had gone out.

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Yet despite appeals from British rival George Russell that the McLaren star had jumped the start, a subsequent investigation resulted in no further action being taken against Norris.

While many pointed out it looked like Norris had clearly moved off his start line, the sensor placed underneath the cars to detect movement had not been triggered.

This meant the FIA stewards were powerless to punish Norris, as it would have led to a simple McLaren appeal over the sensor not registering a jumpstart that would have likely exonerated them.

Norris appeared to look a little guilty when asked about it by Sky Sports after the race, but confirmed that, if anything, he lost out from the incident.

"I just went a little bit and then tried stopping again, and then went again. But overall, I lost. I didn't gain anything from it,” he said.

Sergio Perez took a podium finish in Saudi Arabia

Sergio Perez took second place in Jeddah

Perez rolls into F1 jump start scandal

Now more footage has emerged on social media from the race showing Sergio Perez also appearing to move before the red lights disappeared in Jeddah.

The Mexican's Red Bull appeared to creep slowly forward off the start but perhaps crucially it did not trigger a sensor neither did he go past his white line start point.

Had Perez been given a subsequent 10-second or even a five-second penalty, he would have finished in third place, handing second to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc behind race winner Max Verstappen.

However, given the likely race management mode taken by Red Bull in Jeddah - Perez may have probably been in a position to build up a sizeable gap to serve his penalty and taken a second place finish anyway.