McLaren Hit With FIA Penalty After Lando Norris Incident During Monaco Grand Prix Practice
By Hugo Harvey
June 6, 2026
McLaren’s celebrations during their landmark 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend have suffered an unexpected setback after the team was handed a significant financial penalty by the FIA following an incident involving Lando Norris during Friday practice at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Woking-based outfit found itself under scrutiny after Norris was forced to stop on track during the second free practice session in Monte Carlo. While the immediate concern centered on the technical issue that sidelined the British driver, a subsequent FIA investigation uncovered a breach of technical regulations that ultimately resulted in a costly punishment for the team.
The stewards announced that McLaren would receive a €30,000 fine, with €10,000 of that amount suspended for a period of 12 months, provided the team does not commit another breach of the same regulation during that time.
The penalty stems from an issue involving the car’s clutch disengagement system (CDS), a safety mechanism designed to allow marshals to quickly move a stranded Formula 1 car away from dangerous locations on the circuit.
According to the FIA stewards’ report, the system on Norris’ car could not be operated as intended after McLaren had covered the activation button with transparent tape. The team reportedly applied the tape for aerodynamic reasons, but in doing so compromised the effectiveness of a critical safety feature.
The FIA explained that the CDS button is specifically designed to be easily accessible and operable by track marshals, even when they are wearing protective gloves. However, during the incident involving Norris, officials discovered that the tape prevented the button from being activated in the manner required by the regulations.
In their findings, the stewards noted that both FIA representatives and McLaren personnel agreed that the tape effectively defeated the purpose of the system.
The report further stated that it was impossible to remove the tape and manually activate the button without the use of tools, creating a situation that could have delayed the safe recovery of the vehicle had circumstances been more serious.
Safety remains one of Formula 1’s highest priorities, particularly at Monaco, where the narrow streets and limited escape roads leave little room for error. Any delay in removing a stationary car can significantly increase risks for both drivers and marshals.
As a result, the FIA took a firm stance on the matter, emphasizing the importance of maintaining full functionality of all safety-related systems at all times.
The punishment adds another layer of frustration to what was already a difficult Friday for McLaren on track.
After arriving in Monaco with hopes of fighting at the front, the team struggled to match the pace shown by Ferrari throughout both practice sessions. The Italian outfit emerged as the benchmark on Friday, with hometown hero Charles Leclerc setting the fastest time during the opening practice session before Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in FP2.
Ferrari’s impressive performance immediately placed them among the favorites for pole position and victory around the famous street circuit.
Meanwhile, reigning world champion Max Verstappen also appeared encouraged by Red Bull’s pace. The Dutchman finished third in both sessions and reported that the gap to Ferrari looked significantly smaller than many had expected heading into the weekend.
Mercedes, however, faced a more challenging start, finding themselves behind both Ferrari and Verstappen as teams continued to gather data ahead of qualifying.
For McLaren, the performance deficit was impossible to ignore. Norris could manage only sixth place during the first practice session, finishing approximately 1.3 seconds adrift of the pace-setting Ferrari. Team-mate Oscar Piastri endured similar difficulties, ending the session even further back.
The second session offered little improvement. Piastri finished seventh, while Norris was unable to complete a representative lap after the technical problem forced him to stop on track.
The combination of underwhelming pace and the FIA penalty means McLaren heads into the remainder of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend facing significant challenges.
Despite the setback, the team will be focused on resolving its technical issues and maximizing performance ahead of qualifying, where track position is traditionally more important than at almost any other circuit on the Formula 1 calendar.
With Ferrari appearing exceptionally strong and Red Bull remaining firmly in contention, McLaren now faces the difficult task of recovering lost ground while ensuring there are no further regulatory issues to distract from its pursuit of a strong result during its historic 1000th Grand Prix weekend.