BREAKING: McLaren lodge right of review over Norris F1 penalty

McLaren has requested a right of review against the results of the United States Grand Prix after Lando Norris received a five-second time penalty for overtaking Max Verstappen off-track. 

Under Article 14 of the International Sporting Code, teams are allowed to lodge what is known as a “right of review”. The hearing will take place at 1430 local time in Mexico [2130 BST] on Friday October 25 in two parts.

Firstly, the original panel of stewards from Austin will reconvene to judge whether McLaren has supplied “a significant and relevant new element” of evidence in its submission to warrant a re-opening of the case.

It must be evidence that was also not available to the stewards at the time of the original decision.

If this is deemed to be the case, the penalty itself will be re-examined, but if it is not then the results from Austin will stand. 

McLaren’s protest stems from the lap 52 penalty Norris received after battling title rival Verstappen. 

The Briton attempted to drive around the outside of the Red Bull, but Verstappen got off the brakes and forced the McLaren into the run-off – with both drivers feeling they were following the letter of the law when it comes to F1’s overtaking guidelines.

These state that if a driver has their front-axle alongside a rival, they are entitled to racing room, with both Verstappen and Norris and their teams believing they had earned the right to the room.

In the end, the stewards awarded Norris the five-second time penalty for overtaking Verstappen off-track, which demoted him to fourth at the flag, having failed to pull five seconds on the Dutchman in the remaining laps.

It also meant that instead of a 51-point deficit to Verstappen, the gap Norris must overcome in the championship grew to 57.

Any other “concerned party” to the decision may also request to be present at the hearing.