Norris and Leclerc fined for late arrival to FIA press conference in Monaco

Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have each been fined €5,000 — suspended for 12 months — for arriving late to the FIA’s Thursday press conference in Monaco. The teams, McLaren and Ferrari, are responsible for paying the fine under FIA rules.

Why it matters:

Punctuality at official FIA media sessions is strictly enforced, especially when sessions are televised live. Even a minor delay can lead to penalties, setting a precedent for driver conduct throughout the season.

The details:

• Both drivers were summoned to the stewards on Friday morning. They cited being “delayed at a previous commitment” as their reason, but the stewards ruled that does not justify the breach.
• Regulation B10.1.1a of the F1 rules requires selected drivers to appear on time for the Thursday press conference, which is split into two half-hour segments featuring three drivers each.
• The fine is relatively low compared to other offenses. Last season, Carlos Sainz was fined €20,000 (reduced from €60,000) for being five seconds late to the national anthem on the pre-grid.
• In 2024, Max Verstappen was late to the same press conference in Austria due to traffic but went unpunished because his team notified the FIA in advance.

What's next:

Both fines are suspended for 12 months, meaning no immediate payment is required unless a similar breach occurs. For now, the matter is closed, but the incident serves as a reminder to all drivers of the importance of adhering to FIA media obligations.