"I hope the FIA learns from what happened in Miami" - Lando Norris wants the F1 governing body to take action on drivers' advice regarding safety

Lando Norris has called for the FIA to “listen to the drivers” when it comes to safety, claiming drivers know better than others about some of the issues.

Criticizing how the governing body handled the drivers’ concerns over the Turn 14-15 chicane at the 2022 Miami GP, Norris felt that immediate action should have been taken over the issue. Speaking to the Motorsport Network following the race, he said:

“We learn from mistakes, and I hope the FIA learns from what happened in Miami. As drivers, we understand things differently than the people who don’t drive these cars. When we give advice, it is important that it is considered, and action is taken. We are the ones driving the cars. We know more about many things than they do, about some things they know more. We just need to work better together.”

The Turn 14-15 chicane at the newly built Miami International Autodrome was a cause for controversy early during the GP weekend. Despite being a slow-speed chicane, drivers often arrived at the complex at high speeds owing to the nature of the previous corners.

When some drivers made mistakes and crashed heavily into the concrete barriers, calls for their replacement with Tecpro were made. The FIA, however, ignored the requests and the concrete barriers remained for the rest of the weekend.

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Lando Norris frustrated at inaction over “important safety issue” at 2022 F1 Miami GP

After the conclusion of the Miami GP, Lando Norris joined his fellow drivers in expressing his frustrations over the lack of action on Turn 14 safety issues. He felt that the FIA failed to act on the driver’s request even after multiple incidents, and said:

“It happened once, we said something about it, and nothing happened. It happened again and the consequences were even more severe. It’s a significant safety issue. In addition, it was an expensive one, Esteban's chassis has been written off. They just need to take more action.”

Concrete barriers can often lead to nasty injuries unlike Tecpro, which is designed to absorb the car’s energy during a crash, thereby limiting the damage as well as improving drivers’ safety.

In Miami, Esteban Ocon’s 51G crash triggered a mandatory medical check, while Carlos Sainz suffered from neck pains for the rest of the weekend after his crash at the same location.