Lando Norris can perhaps breathe a sigh of relief that Niels Wittich no longer holds the reins as Formula 1 race director.
During the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, Norris, running second behind Max Verstappen and ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, cut the iconic Suzuka chicane.
He held his position and faced no penalty. "You can see that he's still nervous in the car," former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher observed.
Niels Wittich, ousted as race director late last season, believes Norris got off lightly.
"Well, I have to be honest," he told Sky Deutschland. "From my point of view, Lando should have let himself fall back (behind Piastri). I'm a bit surprised that nothing happened. The standard for something like that would be a ten-second penalty."
Earlier in the race, debate raged over whether McLaren should have let the marginally faster Piastri pass Norris to challenge Verstappen. The team's conservative pit strategy also drew flak.
"I think they are really too conservative," ex-Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos told Ziggo Sport. "They didn't even try to win. It seems like they are only concerned with defending the constructors' title. That is their right, but it's not really good for the sport."
Doornbos suggested that Piastri's manager, Mark Webber, would be livid with McLaren's cautious approach prioritising a safe result over a shot at victory. "I immediately sent Mark a message," the Dutchman said. "I told him that I don't expect he will accept that at all."
