FIA confirms big McLaren fine just hours after Lando Norris wins pole at Spanish GP qualifying
Lando Norris made history by becoming the first driver to earn pole position at the Madring circuit in Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix. This gives the British driver a great chance to become the first winner of the Spanish Grand Prix at this new track.
However, McLaren’s celebration was a bit short-lived. Just hours after Norris was confirmed as the pole sitter, the team was fined for breaking the rules during qualifying.
Norris claimed pole position for the very first race at Madring, marking his 19th career pole. He narrowly beat Kimi Antonelli, who will start second, with Max Verstappen lining up third. Antonelli, who leads the championship, will be happy to start ahead of his main rivals George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who qualified sixth and fourth.
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, had a tougher qualifying session, finishing seventh. Things got tougher for McLaren when they were fined after Norris was caught speeding in the pit lane early in qualifying. He went 88.5 km/h in a zone with an 80 km/h limit.
McLaren was fined €900 by the FIA stewards but Norris won’t get any extra penalty and will keep his pole position. The official report said: “Car 1 exceeded the pit lane speed limit by 8.5 km/h.”
Norris wasn’t the only driver checked by the FIA after qualifying. Russell was called in over a possible rule breach about rejoining the track but only received a warning. Antonelli also got a warning for not meeting delta time rules during qualifying.
Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, got a three-place grid penalty. He was investigated after blocking Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas during qualifying. The stewards said Sainz’s team failed to warn him about Bottas closing in, and Sainz didn’t move aside for the faster car.
Although Sainz qualified 17th, he will start 20th after the penalty. Madrid-born Sainz will be hoping to make up ground during the race.