Lando Norris angry at penalty which cost him points in Canada: ‘It does not make sense’

Norris was given a five-second time penalty which demoted him from ninth to 13th in Montreal

Lando Norris was left perplexed at the penalty which cost him points at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver, who started seventh on the grid, was grappling for positions towards the bottom of the top-10 throughout the race which was won by Max Verstappen.

However, his efforts were scuppered by a five-second time penalty dished out by the stewards for “unsportsmanlike conduct.”

The penalty was later explained to be for Norris driving too slowly during the safety car period, in order for his McLaren team to “double-stack” Oscar Piastri and Norris in the pit-window without delay.

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Norris said, when asked about the penalty after the race, which dropped him from ninth at the chequered flag to outside the points in 13^th.

“I was three or four seconds down… I’m quite surprised. The rest of the race I was very happy with. There were some fun overtakes.

“Everyone leaves gaps [in safety car period]. It’s not like I was 10 seconds down on my delta. If it’s a delta-difference, people should be given penalties for the last three or four years.”

Despite missing out on two points, Norris admitted he enjoyed vying for positions throughout the race, including a thrilling last-lap battle with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

Lando Norris was left perplexed at the penalty which cost him points at the Canadian Grand Prix (Getty Images)

“It was always about making the most of one opportunity I had,” he added.

“It was a struggle, nothing was easy. Tough race, still managed to fight through which was nice.

“The pace was a bit better than the last few weekends. Hopefully we can take some step forwards next time out.”

Norris is currently 11^th in the championship standings on 12 points, seven clear of team-mate Piastri.

McLaren’s scoreless race in Montreal means the team still haven’t picked up points in Canada since 2014 – a streak of seven Canadian GP races without a top-10 finish.