Lando Norris and George Russell have each received a reprimand and a €5,000 fine for violating the FIA's start procedure during the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Sao Paulo race began in a chaotic way, with Lance Stroll spinning into the gravel on the formation lap. Stroll’s stranded car forced an aborted start, which reset the start procedure and required a 10-minute delay to allow crews to prepare the cars again. Under these circumstances, drivers are supposed to remain stationary on the grid or return to it when the aborted start message appears. However, Norris mistakenly accelerated off the grid when the message was shown.

In the resulting confusion, other drivers directly behind Norris followed, including Russell, who started in second, as well as Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.

While some drivers followed the correct procedure and stayed put, after that all cars eventually left the grid to catch up to the formation train. After the race, the FIA stewards started an investigation, interviewing the teams involved, and on late Sunday night announced penalties for Norris and Russell for failing to follow the proper procedure.

As the drivers responsible for the confusion at the front row, Norris and Russell were penalized with a €5,000 fine and a reprimand, but their finishing positions stayed the same: sixth for Norris and fourth for Russell.

The stewards' statement explained: "Although the signal was appropriately given, with the light panel illuminated as prescribed and the teams notified via the messaging system, the driver left the grid, assuming it was an extra formation lap."

Being at the front, Norris’s actions triggered a reaction from the drivers behind, causing them to do the same. Once the Race Director realized that all cars would need to do an extra formation lap, instructions were given for all drivers to proceed and return to the grid, following the correct aborted start procedure.

The stewards stated that Norris’s actions directly caused confusion among the drivers behind him. Tsunoda and Lawson were not penalized, as they only reacted to the cars ahead and were not responsible for the infraction.