The general public launch of F1’s revised racing tips dominated a lot of the paddock chatter throughout media day on the Austrian Grand Prix.
Right here’s how among the drivers reacted to the FIA’s transfer to try to be extra clear after a flurry of controversial penalties and racing incidents during the last 12 months.
F1’s governing physique burdened the rules should not regulatory, however moderately to assist make clear which driver has precedence throughout wheel-to-wheel battles…
Have the rules made racing much less pure?
Lewis Hamilton
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton stated he has not been following the racing tips and is as a substitute approaching wheel-to-wheel fight with “pure really feel”.
“I am not driving to these tips, if I am being trustworthy. I am simply driving what I really feel naturally,” the Ferrari driver stated.
“However in fact, the FIA, the stewards have a troublesome job. Each racing manoeuvre appears completely different. I believe having some form of boundaries is nice. I’ve not likely had any issues when it comes to… they’ve not affected me up to now.
“I do not know what different folks consider them. It’s fascinating simply annually. Totally different folks are available and completely different folks provide you with various things.
“Yr on 12 months on 12 months. A few of them are good, a few of them should not so good. I do not need to decide it simply but.”
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly shares an identical view: “To me personally, I don’t really feel that method. I believe you go laborious racing and you already know the place the restrict is. There’s mutual respect with different drivers and that’s the restrict of the surroundings, and also you attempt to push it to absolutely the restrict. Typically you go barely over it.
“Now, the best way we penalise is one other query – whether or not among the penalties are too sturdy, not sturdy sufficient, and so on. That is one other dialog. However in the best way that we go racing wheel-to-wheel, it feels pure.”
Max Verstappen, who’s one level away from a race ban and should navigate this weekend on the Purple Bull Ring cleanly, was not eager to supply his opinion on the matter.
“I’m not going to touch upon that, I can’t threat getting a penalty level!” Purple Bull’s four-time world champion quipped.
Tips shouldn’t be taken as ‘black and white’
Verstappen and Piastri have had a number of battles this 12 months
McLaren’s world championship chief Oscar Piastri burdened the significance that the rules should not handled as gospel.
“Clearly, there are nonetheless levels of things that may’t actually be written down,” Piastri stated.
“Each state of affairs is completely different, however I believe it a minimum of provides us as drivers some readability on what’s and isn’t allowed. There have in all probability been some tweaks since they got here out- I can’t keep in mind after they got here out precisely, however perhaps within the final 18 months or so.
“It’s simply vital that individuals don’t deal with them as black and white – that is what must occur, that is what isn’t going to occur – as a result of even in the event you wrote 10 pages of traces and a driver’s going to discover a gray space simply from the state of affairs you find yourself in.
“So I believe it’s vital to recognise that and never leap to conclusions like, “it says this on this sentence, so that is what ought to occur.” It’s nonetheless within the Stewards’ arms.”
Esteban Ocon confronted an investigation for allegedly driving erratically on the pit exit in opposition to Carlos Sainz’s Williams in the course of the Canadian Grand Prix, however the stewards finally opted no additional acton was warranted following a post-race investigation.
The Haas driver thinks the quantity of guidelines in F1 creates complexities.
“There are loads of guidelines, that’s for certain. I believe the racing facet is kind of simple for us and really clear, however it’s all of the little facet issues – like what occurred, for instance, on the exit of the pit lane with that double yellow flag with me and Carlos,” he defined.
“That was not that easy and a little bit of a shock for all of us. That caught Carlos abruptly as properly. So yeah, it’s all these little issues on high of an already difficult state of affairs that may result in troublesome situations and going to the Stewards and having lengthy choices and all of this.
“Ultimately, I believe the FIA took all the fitting choices. They knew it was facet issues and small issues not resulting in any penalties. It was fairly simple earlier than I went to the FIA’s room, however it’s all the time a tense second – particularly whenever you get a end result which implies one thing. The subsequent three hours after the race have been fairly lengthy for me and the crew.”
Time for everlasting stewards?
George Russell
Mercedes driver George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation (GPDA), as soon as once more urged that F1 ought to introduce a fully-paid, everlasting panel of stewards.
“I believe now that it’s public, there will probably be extra opinions being thrown round. My private view is, and as we have said just a few occasions up to now, the stewards are nonetheless volunteers,” Russell stated.
“We’ve got 20 completely different stewards over the course of a season, all of which have gotten an enormous quantity of racing data, however all have very barely completely different interpretations of an incident, the identical method as drivers have very barely completely different interpretations of incidents.
“So I nonetheless consider the very best course could be to have fully-paid skilled stewards, a constant panel, and probably even barely lowering these driver tips as a result of finally these tips are there to help the stewards within the resolution making.
“And when you have one steward who’s solely doing one in each 4 races, they want that form of steerage. Whereas in the event you’ve received a constant three or 4 people, we are going to know their viewpoint, they are going to know our viewpoint, and you may decide every incident barely extra on the way it occurs versus what the letter of the regulation is written.”
‘Making a contact sport’
Williams driver Alex Albon thinks there may be nonetheless room for enchancment after being on the receiving finish of a penalty following a current conflict with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in Spain.
“I do not like how we’re racing in the meanwhile,” Albon instructed media together with Crash.internet. “Barcelona Flip 1 was a very good instance of that.
“If the opposite automobile squeezes you off and releases the brake pedal and provides you no house to go, it is true that it is their nook. However clearly, at that time you have dedicated so late into the nook, the one factor you are able to do is exit the monitor and take a cut-off.
“I had the identical subject in Canada. If I flip in on that automobile that is releasing the brake pedal on the within, and he makes contact to me, then he will get the penalty. So, if I flip in, despite the fact that I do know it is not potential and I do know that he’ll hit me, then that advantages me. So, you are making a contact sport.
“What I really feel like I have been doing is getting out of the best way for the opposite automobile and avoiding the crash, however then really received penalised for doing so.”
