FIA reveal punishment for Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc Monaco GP breach
The FIA has issued a penalty to McLaren and Ferrari over a breach involving its drivers at the Monaco Grand Prix.
McLaren and Ferrari have been issued suspended €5,000 fines after Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc arrived late to the FIA press conference at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
Reigning world champion Norris and Leclerc found themselves in trouble with F1’s stewards before hitting the track on Thursday in Monaco after turning up late to the pre-event FIA driver press conference.
Norris and Leclerc’s late arrival meant that the press conference started behind schedule. While this may seen trivial and inconsequential to the rest of the weekend, it is still a breach of the regulations.
Article B10 of the FIA’s sporting regulations sets out the expectations relating to drivers and their media activities across a grand prix weekend, with a breach of Article B10.1.1a relating to the “late attendance of the Thursday press conference”.
The current FIA press conference format sees six drivers split into two groups of three face the media for a total of one hour every Thursday ahead of a grand prix. The drivers are rotated throughout the season.
Both Norris and Leclerc, along with representatives from their respective teams, were called before the stewards for a hearing which took place on Friday morning.
McLaren and Ferrari were each issued with a €5,000 fine, suspended for a period of 12 months subject to no further breach of a similar nature.
In both cases, Norris and Leclerc explained they had been “delayed at a previous commitment”, resulting in their tardy arrival at the press conference.
“Noting that in accordance with Article 9.15.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code, the Competitor is responsible for the actions of its driver, the penalty is imposed on the Competitor,” the FIA stewards said.
In 2024, Max Verstappen avoided a penalty for being late to the Thursday press conference at the Austrian Grand Prix because he was caught up in traffic on the way to the track, something Red Bull notified the FIA of in advance.
At the 2023 British Grand Prix, Mercedes received a reprimand after Lewis Hamilton turned up late to the Thursday press conference.
On that occasion, the stewards accepted that the Silverstone weekend is particularly busy for the seven-time world champion, as well as it being difficult for him to freely move around the paddock.
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