McLaren star Lando Norris pinpoints one of the 'silliest rules' in F1

Formula 1

Lando Norris pinpoints one of the 'silliest rules' in F1

Norris came close to a penalty at the US Grand Prix

By Sam Cook.

Tuesday 21 October 2025 21:01

McLaren Formula 1 star Lando Norris has issued his thoughts on what he believes is one of the 'silliest rules' in the sport in the aftermath of Sunday's United States Grand Prix.

Norris came home in second to Max Verstappen in Austin, Texas, closing the gap on F1 drivers' championship leader and teammate Oscar Piastri in the process.

The Brit did so after overtaking Ferrari's Charles Leclerc twice in the race, and both times he had to be cautious doing so due to the track limits rule.

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By lap 26 on Sunday, Norris received a black-and-white flag, meaning he had committed three track limits infringements already.

It meant that he had to go the final 30 laps of the race without committing another one, otherwise he would have faced a five-second time penalty from FIA race stewards.

Norris issues verdict on track limits

Norris believes track limits strikes in such instances are silly, and believes the stewards should be more lenient when drivers are racing but go off track.

"I mean, the places which were easy to go off were turn nine over the crest of the hill, and then the last two corners," Norris told media after the race. "I think I was on three strikes by like lap 10. So I didn't put myself in the best position. But then one of my strikes was because I was racing.

"You know, I think that's one of the silliest rules that we have. We’re invited to try and race, but if you race too much, you get a penalty for it. And I got a track limits for trying to go around the outside and losing time to Charles.

"So, doesn't really make much sense in terms of going racing."

Track limits made Norris' life harder

Continuing further, Norris added: "It definitely made my life that little bit trickier, especially turn 19, with the wind, like Max said, it was pretty inconsistent.

"It’s difficult to just be always on the limit and not make mistakes, which I obviously made a couple too many of, too early on.

"But yeah, a little bit more cautious at the end because I knew I couldn’t afford a penalty. But I took the risks I needed to."

McLaren FIA Lando Norris Formula 1 United States Grand Prix