Lando Norris penalty verdict revealed by FIA after Saudi investigation

The FIA have announced a stewards' verdict after looking into a possible infringement by Lando Norris at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

Norris, who pitted late in the race after starting on the more durable hard tyre, had his exit from the pitlane closely scrutinized for potentially crossing the white line, which would have resulted in a costly penalty.

Following the investigation, the stewards opted not to hand out punishment to the number four driver, leaving him free to chase down the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, aiming for the DRS zone with a podium finish still in sight thanks to a five-second penalty for Max Verstappen in P2.

Norris was unable to catch up to the top three however, finishing just behind in P4 as team-mate Oscar Piastri not only claimed the grand prix victory but also overtook Norris in the championship standings.

Should Norris have been penalised for Saudi GP pit exit?

Debating whether Norris had crossed the white line upon his pit exit whilst looking at the incident on a replay, Sky Sports F1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle said: “He’s alright there, isn’t he? He’s got tire on it.”

Later, Brundle added: “I thought as long as you’ve got tire on the line, you’re okay and you don’t completely cross the line. They’re going to have to look at that extremely closely.”

Reading from the race directors’ notes, F1 analyst Bernie Collins went on to add: “It does say that they must follow procedures at pit entry and pit exit.”

“And then it lists the line that they need to be fully, as you say, to the left-hand side of, that includes the entry line and that exit line.

“Onboard, it was very, very difficult to see, but on that replay, I do think that that right-hand front tire is too far across and touching that white line on exit.”

Nevertheless, just as Collins was sharing her opinion, it was revealed that the FIA had confirmed no further investigation was required.

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