McLaren F1 News: FIA announce official verdict following US GP petition against Red Bull

A composite image of Lando Norris and Andrea Stella — Photo: © IMAGO

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FIA announce official verdict over McLaren US GP complaint

F1's governing body released a statement after McLaren submitted a Right of Review petition

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 26 October 2024 05:26

The FIA have released a statement after McLaren Formula 1 team submitted a Right of Review petition over the incident between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the US GP last weekend.

The sport's governing body reviewed the decision following McLaren's claim that they had a significant and relevant new element to present to the stewards regarding the matter.

F1 HEADLINES: Red Bull SWAP call revealed as FIA declare verdict at Mexican GP

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F1 RESULTS: Verstappen despair deepens as Red Bull THRASHED by championship rivals

The US GP last time out saw championship rivals Norris and Verstappen fight for the final spot on the podium behind a momentous Ferrari one-two at COTA.

McLaren's battle with Verstappen's Red Bull veered off track however, with Norris handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, despite many papaya fans likely feeling as if the British star only did so having been pushed by Verstappen and his aggressive driving style.

Both drivers' claimed they felt they had done no wrong, with McLaren vehemently protesting the FIA's decision after the penalty was announced just in time for the chequered flag, Norris finishing fourth behind the Red Bull.

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris fought hard at COTA for P3

The battle between the championship rivals dominated the post-race discussion on Sky F1 at the US GP

FIA reject McLaren US GP petition

Heading into the Mexican GP weekend, the debate still dominated the headlines, with McLaren filing a petition with the FIA for a Right of Review over the incident, with a video conference hearing set to take place on Friday in Mexico, in accordance with Article 14 of the FIA International Sporting Code.

Representatives for McLaren, the FIA and Red Bull were all present at the hearing where the FIA were required to determine if any of the evidence presented by McLaren F1 met the necessary criteria of being significant, relevant, new and unavailable to McLaren at the time of the decision.

In a statement from the FIA, it was revealed that McLaren claimed: "The document for the decision contained a statement that was incorrect and that evidenced an objective, measurable and provable error had been made by the stewards"

The statement in question referred to the FIA's claim that Norris' car was overtaking Verstappen's on the outside but was not level with the Red Bull at the apex, further believing Car 4 had already overtaken and was ahead "at the braking zone."

McLaren principal Andrea Stella expressed his view at the hearing that ‘the case for McLaren was a “legally sophisticated explanation”, with Red Bull representative Jonathan Wheatley expressing: “in view of the “very high bar” that is set (in Article 14 of the FIA International Sporting Code) for a successful petition of a Right of Review, it is extremely onerous to establish the existence of the new element.

Andrea Stella claimed McLaren were wrongfully penalised at the US GP

The stewards additionally noted the decision of the stewards in relation to elements previously presented in the case of the Right of Review from McLaren in Canada 2023, Aston Martin Saudi Arabia 2023 and Ferrari Australia 2023, alongside other petitions from previous seasons.

Instead of determining which criteria the petition had met, the FIA focused on relevance, with McLaren submitting that the stewards statement that “Car 4 was not level with Car 1 at the apex” was an error.

The FIA declared: "The concept that the written Decision (document number 69) was the significant and relevant new element, or that an error in the decision was a new element, is not sustainable and is therefore, rejected.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Max Verstappen McLaren FIA Formula 1 Lando Norris US GP