Norris and Russell were very lucky: This really could have been the penalty

After Lance Stroll stopped in the gravel on the formation lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix, race control decided to abort the start procedure. The flashing 'Aborted start' sign informed the drivers who had returned to the grid. That meant F1 drivers had to stop their cars, after which there was a ten-minute notification for when the start would take place.

But Lando Norris and George Russell, who sat on the front row, decided to drive off anyway. After some hesitation, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda followed, and race control also gave the rest of the grid permission to drive an extra lap. Max Verstappen was one of the drivers who first noticed that Norris and Russell were at fault.

Norris previously penalised for a 'similar incident'

The 'aborted start' message can be compared to a red flag. At that point, no more driving is allowed, as the situation on the track is too dangerous for the drivers and the marshals, who, in this case, had started to recover Stroll's car. The situation was extra dangerous because of the wet conditions. A driver losing control again could not be ruled out.

If a driver ignores a red flag and starts another lap,  it carries a hefty penalty. Remarkably, Lando Norris knows all about that. In 2021, the McLaren driver was penalised for not entering the pit lane despite a red flag but doing another lap. That earned him a grid penalty of three spots for the Grand Prix.

The rules state that he should have been given a five-place penalty at the time, but the stewards said there were mitigating circumstances. They said Norris had a short time to decide to enter the pit lane. Norris was also credited with three penalty points on his licence for that offence.

Last Sunday in Brazil, Norris and Russell got away graciously with a warning and a fine, which is a drop in the ocean for top-level F1 drivers. They received no penalty points on their licences.

As a mitigating circumstance, it can be argued that race control caused some confusion. According to FIA procedures, the start should be aborted during the formation lap. This could've been done as soon as Stroll was stuck in the gravel trap. In Brazil, however, this happened when all drivers were back on the grid for the start of the race. At that moment, another procedure should actually have come into effect: an extra formation lap.

In this confusion, Norris and Russell started another formation lap. The fact that an unclear situation ultimately arose contributed to Norris and Russell not receiving a heavy penalty.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton