Lando Norris receives early boost for British GP after multiple track limits violations

Lando Norris pulls into the pits with a rear right puncture

Lando Norris needn’t worry about a penalty hangover at the British Grand Prix having been slapped with a time penalty as he retired his car in Austria.

Taking on Max Verstappen for the lead at the Austrian Grand Prix, Norris made repeated track limit violations as he chased down the Red Bull with the four offences earning him a five-second time penalty.

Lando Norris’ penalty counts as being served

As he challenged Verstappen for the lead at Turn 3 on lap 63, the McLaren driver ran wide with Verstappen quickly onto the radio, as the drivers all too often do these days, to report his rival was “off”.

But as the two collided a lap later at the same corner, the contact leaving both with rear-wheel punctures, Norris was also informed by Race Control that he had a five-second time penalty.

“The Stewards reviewed video evidence and found that Car 4 left the track on four (4) occasions without justifiable reason, after having received the black and white flag on the third (3rd) occasion,” read the stewards’ verdict.

“This was a breach of Article 33.3 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations. As per the penalty guidelines, this attracts a 5-second time penalty, which we accordingly impose.”

But although Norris didn’t serve his penalty before his retirement, there is no risk of the penalty carrying over to the British GP.

That’s because he finished enough of the race to be classified, 64 of the 71 laps, the five seconds were added to his time and the penalty counts as being served.

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Lando Norris fears budget cap repercussions

He does, however, fear other “repercussions” after his car was wrecked in the accident.

While the most notable damage was to his rear-right tyre, the Briton revealed his car also suffered bodywork damage while the floor could’ve taken a hit too.

Given the British Grand Prix begins just five days after Austria, McLaren may not have enough time to create spares for Norris’ car.

And at a time when teams are also balancing the budget versus the cap, he says this could “disadvantage” McLaren.

“[He] destroyed my car,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “These are the best bits on the car for the bin.

‘We don’t have a lot of space in the battle that we’re in, in terms of upgrades and budget cap and things like that.

“My whole car is destroyed and these are all the bits that we need for next week.

“It’s not just a repercussion of what happens on the track, it’s everything that we have to carry in Silverstone and be disadvantaged by us.”

Lando Norris v Max Verstappen rivalry a welcome boost for Silverstone

According to reports, the thrilling battle in Austria has brought a boost in ticket sales for the British Grand Prix with fans hoping for more drama at Silverstone.

The pricing of tickets recently came under scrutiny after slower-than-expected ticket sales for a race that is often a sell-out.

But with tickets now going fast, British Grand Prix chief executive Stuart Pringle is adamant Verstappen and Red Bull shouldn’t be concerned about facing a hostile crowd.

“I’m absolutely sure of that,” he said when asked by Sky F1 if British F1 fans were fair. “Our fans are first and foremost fans of sport.

“Of course they have their favourite team, but they are spread across. There are a lot of Red Bull fans. Lando’s very popular, George [Russell] and Lewis are very popular.

“But actually what British F1 fans recognise is a great performance, and let’s be honest, when Max has won in the last two or three races pre-Austria, the thing that’s made the difference has been his personal performance. That hasn’t been the quickest car, but when he’s had to do the business, he’s been spot on.

“And people have recognised that in this country and across the sport, so I have no worries about that.”