Norris reprimanded for erratic driving behind Safety Car
The stewards reprimanded Lando Norris for erratic driving behind the Safety Car at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but did not alter his race result. They also ruled that his momentary move ahead of Oscar Piastri was not an overtake and that his rejoin was safe.
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The stewards reprimanded Lando Norris for erratic driving behind the Safety Car late in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, finding a breach of Article B5.13.2a of the FIA F1 Regulations. The reprimand did not alter his race result.
Norris was eighth behind the Safety Car, which was deployed for an on-track stoppage for Alex Albon, when George Russell pulled to the side before Turn 1 with a power-unit problem. Several cars slowed. The stewards said Norris misjudged his closing speed, braked heavily and steered left over the kerbs into the gravel to avoid contact with the cars ahead; the kerbs reduced the grip available for braking.
Norris told the stewards that low sun and the resulting visibility made it difficult to recognise that the cars ahead had begun slowing earlier than he would normally have expected. They said he should have managed his gap and closing speed more carefully and taken visibility into account, rather than treating it as an excuse. The stewards considered his prompt reaction and avoidance of contact when deciding a reprimand was appropriate.
The stewards found Norris moved ahead of Oscar Piastri momentarily only because he left the track while taking avoiding action. Piastri immediately passed him while he was off track, so the stewards ruled it was not an overtake and took no further action on that aspect.
They also found Norris's rejoin safe despite Lance Stroll being relatively close, saying Stroll did not have to take avoiding action. The stewards ruled Norris did not overtake Stroll under the Safety Car and took no further action on that question.
Sources 01
- SOURCELando Norris learns stewards' verdict after Bahrain GP investigationRacingNews365 English
Claims and supporting evidence 6
The report reproduces the stewards' breach finding and says no punishment was inflicted on Norris's race result.
The report gives the race sequence and the stewards' account of Norris's avoiding action.
The report records this as Norris's explanation to the stewards.
These points appear in the stewards' reproduced assessment and reasoning.
The reproduced assessment says the movement resulted from Norris leaving the track to avoid contact and Piastri repassing him while he was off track.
The report reproduces the stewards' findings about the rejoin and Stroll.
Corrections and updates to this story
Norris reprimanded for erratic driving behind Safety Car
EN: Removed the previous statement that this was Norris’s first reprimand of the season and clarified that the reprimand did not change his race result. NL: De eerdere melding dat dit Norris’ eerste reprimande van het seizoen was, is verwijderd; ook is verduidelijkt dat de reprimande zijn raceresultaat niet veranderde.
Norris reprimanded for erratic driving behind Safety Car
EN: This update adds the stewards’ account of how the incident unfolded and why they chose a reprimand. The earlier correction remains: the claim that this was Norris’s first reprimand of the 2026 season was removed, and the article clarifies that the reprimand did not alter his race result. NL: De uitleg van de stewards over het incident en hun motivering voor de reprimande zijn toegevoegd. De eerdere correctie blijft staan: de bewering dat dit Norris’ eerste reprimande van het seizoen 2026 was, is verwijderd; ook is verduidelijkt dat de reprimande zijn raceresultaat niet veranderde.
Norris reprimanded for erratic driving behind Safety Car
Manual editorial correction: clarified wording and attribution and removed repeated or source-process prose where present. The underlying reporting and sources are unchanged. / Handmatige redactionele correctie: formuleringen en bronvermelding verduidelijkt; herhaling en controletaal verwijderd waar aanwezig. De verslaggeving en bronnen zijn behouden.
This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.