33-year-old F1 star accused of ‘dangerous driving’ during Abu Dhabi GP

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McLaren driver Lando Norris was seriously unimpressed with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez as he barged his way through the pack at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Although the final race of the season didn’t provide the dramatic finish we experienced two years ago, there was still plenty of action to take in.

Lando Norris and Sergio Perez were battling for points, via Sky Sports F1, and were racing for a spot in the top four in the closing laps.

Lando Norris went into Sunday’s race frustrated that he wasn’t starting further up the grid.

He was on pace to challenge for pole position during qualifying, but a mistake in the final section of his last lap saw him drop down to fifth.

Perez suffered a similar fate, having his fastest lap chalked off as he ended up starting in ninth.

It’s a problem he’s had all season and Christian Horner has urged him to improve his pace on Saturdays next year.

As Perez surged through the grid during the closing stages of the race in Abu Dhabi, he came up to the back of Norris.

The McLaren’s race pace couldn’t match up to the Red Bull and Perez dived down the inside of the chicane.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t avoid contact, much to the annoyance of the 24-year-old.

Norris unimpressed with Perez in Abu Dhabi

The McLaren driver had to take avoiding action and cut the second corner, retaining the position before eventually being overtaken.

It didn’t stop him getting on the radio though and he said: “Yeah, but that’s just dangerous driving, he had loads of space.”

Although Martin Brundle on commentary suggested it was a racing incident, the stewards didn’t agree.

Perez was handed a five-second time penalty, much to his annoyance and it ended up costing him a podium finish.

In fact, Charles Leclerc let him take second place on the final lap in a bid to help Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship but to no avail.

Norris couldn’t benefit from Perez’s penalty in Abu Dhabi but led a McLaren fifth and sixth as they secured fourth in the team’s standings.

It’s a positive platform to build on heading into 2024 where he’ll continue to search for his first race win.