Norris, Leclerc called to Monaco stewards

Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc must appear before Monaco Grand Prix stewards on Friday morning after being cited for late attendance at Thursday’s official FIA press conference under Article B10.1.1a of the sporting regulations.

The two drivers were summoned in FIA documents issued after Monaco’s media day, with Leclerc due before the stewards at 10:00 local time and Norris set to follow at 10:10. Ferrari and McLaren representatives have also been called, with the issue tied to the pair’s appearance in the first of Thursday’s two press-conference groups.

Article B10.1.1a covers delays or absences from official media obligations, and the alleged breach in Monaco is specifically listed as the late attendance of the Thursday press conference. The session itself started a few minutes later than scheduled after Norris and Leclerc arrived behind time, turning what is normally a routine pre-weekend media obligation into an early stewards matter.

That makes the hearing unusual more for its timing than for the likely severity of the outcome. Cases involving late arrival to FIA press conferences have historically drawn light penalties, and in some instances no punishment at all. The usual range has been a warning, a reprimand or a fine, rather than any sanction with a direct sporting effect.

A recent precedent came at the 2023 British Grand Prix, when Lewis Hamilton was reported for being late to the Thursday press conference. In the stewards’ explanation from that case, they said: “The Stewards received a report from the Media Delegate that the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), was late for the Thursday Press Conference.” After hearing from Mercedes, the stewards accepted that Hamilton’s schedule had been controlled by the team and noted the demands around his home event.

Even so, the officials stressed that the obligation still mattered because late attendance disrupts the press conference and affects media access to drivers. Their conclusion was that “the most appropriate penalty was to the team rather than to the driver,” with Mercedes receiving a reprimand and a warning that stronger penalties could follow in the event of repetition.

That precedent points to the most likely direction for Monaco. Norris and Leclerc have been formally called to explain the delay, but the historical handling described in similar cases suggests significant sporting consequences are unlikely. The bigger message from the FIA is procedural: even a minor delay to an official media session is enough to trigger steward scrutiny, and both McLaren and Ferrari now have to account for it before the weekend properly gets under way.