Returning to Formula One after five years, the Chinese Grand Prix delivered what was arguably the most enthralling sprint qualifying session in the sport’s history. And Lando Norris was undoubtedly the winner of the session, securing his first-ever pole position in sprint qualifying. But, was it a straightforward victory for Norris and McLaren? Not at all, as rather unfortunately, the FIA gave into the chaos and made a mess of the situation.
Although the stewards managed to nullify their mistake on time with a rapid counter-solution, the late announcement certainly did not go well with the fans. Norris produced an absolute blinder of a lap in his final run of SQ3, which propelled him to the top of the time sheets. However, barely seconds later, the stewards deleted the Briton’s lap time, subsequently promoting Lewis Hamilton to a provisional pole position.
LANDO NORRIS TAKES #F1SPRINT POLE!!
Extraordinary scenes in Shanghai 🤯#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/3oEWFIVVxY
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2024
And it almost seemed like Hamilton was going to claim his first pole since last year’s Hungarian GP, with the clock running down to mere seconds. But, to his poor luck, the FIA came up with yet another change; only this time, they decided to reinstate Norris’ lap time. Hence, at the very last moment, Norris found himself at the top of the time board yet again.
Several fans and pundits questioned the FIA’s decision to reinstate Norris’ lap time and demoting Hamilton. Was it a fair decision? Or did the FIA make a grave mistake, denting their reputation in Formula 1?
Is it legal to reinstate a lap time after deleting it?
According to reports, Norris’ lap may have been deleted in other Grand Prix events. However, in the Shanghai event notes, exceeding the track limit at the last corner doesn’t invalidate the driver’s next lap. In Norris’ case, his current lap was deleted, but, the following lap, which granted him the pole position, was not.
Why was @LandoNorris‘ pole-winning lap time deleted, then reinstated?
It was deleted because he went off at the last corner on the previous lap. That leads to a lap time deletion at some tracks, but that rule is not in the Shanghai event notes.#F1 pic.twitter.com/WJ5mnPc5vN
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) April 19, 2024
Therefore, the FIA seemingly made the right decision by reinstating Norris’ lap time.
Toto Wolff sides with Andreas Seidl in late Lando Norris drama
Toto Wolff has revealed that he wouldn’t be appealing the FIA’s bizarre decision and is rather happy with P2 for Hamilton. Wolff opined that Norris did not gain any advantage from exceeding the track limits. “I haven’t seen the detail. I just saw that he was all four laps off the track, but the lap after was slower, so I am happy with that,” he said following the crazy sprint qualifying in Shanghai. Soon after, McLaren F1 team principal, Andreas Seidl, defended the FIA decision as well.
Andrea Stella to Sky on Norris’s pole lap being reinstated:
“It was reinstated by the FIA themselves. You go off at the last corner, you launch at much lower speed, and effectively Lando loses almost three-tenths because he’s been off at the previous last corner.” #F1
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) April 19, 2024
“It was reinstated by the FIA themselves. You go off at the last corner, you launch at much lower speed, and effectively Lando loses almost three-tenths because he’s been off at the previous last corner,” Seidl told the media following the sprint qualifying in Shanghai.
Overall, Norris has secured his pole position amidst the chaos. But, can he convert it into a sprint victory tomorrow against the likes of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez?
Sara Chavan