“It put Yuki out in qualifying and he was P1 in Q1” - Lando Norris hits out at the FIA for not penalizing Max Verstappen in Singapore

McLaren driver Lando Norris feels that Max Verstappen should have been penalized for blocking Yuki Tsunoda in the Singapore GP qualifying session last weekend.

The Red Bull driver found himself in the firing twice in the qualifying session in Singapore - for impeding Tsunoda in the Q2 session, and also for blocking other drivers at the start of the pit lane. However, the Dutchman escaped penalties for both incidents, walking away with just reprimands.

The FIA investigation and the stewards' decision caused controversy among the drivers and the teams. In the pre-race press conference ahead of the 2023 Japanese GP, Lando Norris claimed that Verstappen should have received a penalty.

“I don’t want to say too much ’cause I’ll just create controversy but I think the blocking one on track was the one that should’ve been a penalty," he said. "He blocked someone. It’s not just down to the team. I know the team got the fine at the end of the day, but it should be down to the driver as well to look in his mirrors."

"I think there should just be harsher penalties for blocking people because so many people do it," he added. "It ruins your lap, ruins your qualifying. It put Yuki out in qualifying and he was P1 in Q1. No one seems to care enough and it’s happened a lot this season, happened to me quite a few times, especially with certain teams, but it’s also down to the driver to look in the mirror."

Lando Norris analyzes his performance after Friday's free practice in Suzuka

Lando Norris finished third in both practice sessions and was over four-tenths behind Max Verstappen. The McLaren driver stated that he wasn't entirely happy with his pace on Friday.

As per F1.com, Norris said:

“No, not really. The pace was there. The pace has been pretty good today. Probably one of the closest times we’ve been to Red Bull and the front lot on a Friday."

“So, I think encouraging from a pace point of view but the car feels pretty all over the place. I kind of think it does for the majority. It’s just a very low grip, I don’t think it’s just us in particular, it’s just a handful."

There are a lot of expectations on the McLaren team this weekend as they are expected to be the closest challengers to Red Bull in Suzuka. Both the team and Lando Norris will hope that they can produce a performance that closes the gap on the Austrian team heading into the qualifying session on Saturday.