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McLaren driver Lando Norris finished in the pole position at the Sprint Qualifying in controversial circumstances at the 2024 Chinese GP on Friday.
The young British driver was one of the standout drivers in the wet conditions in the SQ3 as he wrestled his car to extract the maximum performance in the lap but was never quite able to hook to the lap perfectly.
His pole lap was also similar to his previous endeavors as he went wide on the final corner despite going P1 over two seconds ahead of the field. Norris' lap was initially deleted by the stewards but was reinstated in the dying moments of the session that saw him grab pole position from Lewis Hamilton's hands.
The controversial scenario isn't the first time that a deleted lap has been reinstated by the FIA. Below are the three occasions when the stewards have done the same:
2023 Saudi Arabian GP Race: CAR 77 (BOT) TIME 1:38.366 WILL BE REINSTATED
2023 Australian GP Quali: CAR 10 (GAS) TIME 1:06.966 WILL BE REINSTATED
2023 Hungarian GP FP1: CAR 23 (ALB) TIME 1:47.403 WILL BE REINSTATED
In the uproar, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella explained to Sky Sports the steward's decision to reinstate Lando Norris' pole lap:
"We think it might have been because in the last before he went off at the last corner and they might have thought in this case, having been off at the last corner, it might have implications for the following lap which is the pole lap. That lap is completely clean, so there is no problem at all.
"It was reinstated by the FIA themselves. Definitely, because you go off at the last corner you go off at a much lower speed and effectively Lando loses almost three-tenths because he has been off at the previous last corner."
Lando Norris shares his thoughts on the confusion surrounding his pole lap in the Sprint Qualifying
Lando Norris has stated that he was nervous when he saw his lap removed from the leaderboard as he believed he did not do anything wrong.
Speaking with Sky Sports, the McLaren driver said:
"I saw on the board that I wasn't at the top, but I saw when I went over the line on the TV that I was, so I got a little bit nervous. But I didn't do anything so it should be okay."
It would be interesting to see if the FIA gives any detailed explanation behind their decision to reinstate Lando Norris's lap in the final moments.
