
Press conference attendance isn't optional under the Sporting Regulations, and the stewards' summons before a wheel has turned underlines that the FIA treats media obligations as seriously as on-track conduct. For Norris, who is in a title fight, any points penalty or fine — however minor — is an unnecessary distraction at a circuit where preparation time is precious. Leclerc, racing on home ground with all the pressure that brings, doesn't need the added noise either. It's a reminder that the paddock calendar, unglamorous as the Thursday formalities are, carries real regulatory weight.
It's unusual for Formula 1 drivers to be summoned by the FIA stewards to explain themselves before even turning a wheel on track, but this is the fate which has befallen Lando Norris and Charles Lecle