For the past three seasons, the Abu Dhabi GP has had a lot at stake. In 2021, it was the championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who entered the race equal on points. In 2022, it was the battle for P2 in the Drivers’ Championship, with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez coming into the weekend equal on points. And in 2023, Ferrari and Mercedes battled it out for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship, staring the race with almost equal points. Ultimately, the team from Brackley edged out the Scuderia by just 1.1s, and Toto Wolff & Co. have only one driver to thank for it. And it wasn’t one of his drivers. It was Lando Norris.

Had it not been for Lando Norris, Ferrari could’ve very well walked away with $9 million more as prize money than Mercedes. That’s how much the Constrctors’ Championship matters every season. The thing is, Ferrari had momentum on its side as F1 visited the Yas Marina Circuit. But because of one incident Norris got involved in, the scales tipped in Mercedes’ favor. Now, the 24-year-old wants something in return.

Lando Norris was Mercedes’ saving grace

In the dying stages of the race, Norris was running in P4 behind Leclerc in P2 and George Russell in P3. At the time, the Maranello outfit was narrowly edging out Mercedes in the championship battle. That’s when Sergio Perez, in his charging Bull on much fresher tires, came in. While chasing Norris and attempting an overtake, the Mexican crashed into the McLaren. That collision raised a lot of eyebrows, because of how funny it looked. But it was what followed that worked in Mercedes’ favor.

Perez received a five-second penalty for the incident. While many warranted that the penalty was overkill, it was enough to demote the Red Bull driver from P2 to P4 after crossing the line. That’s right. Perez did make his way to P2, but only because of a big brain move from Charles Leclerc on the last lap. George Russell, though, crossed the line 3.9s after Perez, ensuring that he stayed within the five-second margin. As a result, Russell scored three additional points, enough to put Mercedes ahead of Ferrari. Now, that’s where Norris came back into the picture.

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In a way, Toto Wolff has Lando Norris to thank for the additional $9 million they’ll get from finishing P2. Naturally, the quick-witted Briton suggested that he should get compensation for helping the Brackley squad. He said, “[The penalty] helped Mercedes to P2 in the championship, which they can thank me for. So they can give me a little bonus! I did what I could, I left [Perez] a load of space, and [he] hit me, so he got a penalty. He deserved it, simple as that.”

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Just imagine the thoughts down at the Mercedes pit wall if not for the penalty. Things looked like they were slipping away. Toto Wolff, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton have one driver to thank, and that’s Lando Norris. Although the McLaren driver helped Mercedes’ case in Abu Dhabi, he couldn’t help himself the same. After all, he was in a championship battle of his own as well.

Lando Norris just missed out on P4

The Ferrari versus Mercedes fight for P2 wasn’t the only championship battle shaping up in Abu Dhabi. The Drivers’ Championship had its own fight going on. And it was a four-way tussle between Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc. For as long as Perez was behing Norris, the 24-year-old looked like he’d take P4. Even when the Mexican overtook him, Norris still had a chance. Considering the Red Bull’s pace on new tires, it seemed highly likely that Perez would catch up to Leclerc in P2. Well, that happened, but Perez’s penalty, while helping Mercedes, hurt Norris.

With Alonso and Sainz running in the bottom half of the top ten, they weren’t much threats to the McLaren driver. For him to get P4, Norris needed Perez to finish ahead of Leclerc. All he needed was to stay withing four points of the Monegasque. However, Perez’s penalty, a slow first pit stop that let Russell get ahead, and a failed undercut attempt ensured Norris crossed the line in P5. In the end, he lost out on P4 by just one point, losing out to Alonso (P4) and Leclerc (P5).

Do you think Sergio Perez should’ve gotten a five-second penalty for his incident with Lando Norris?

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