F1 News

Stewards still trying to establish the boundaries for penalties

Stewards still trying to establish the boundaries for penalties

24-09-2019 10:31
1

F1 race director Michael Masi says that he and the stewards are still trying to find the boundary for hard but fair racing, after a lenient Singapore Grand Prix.

Two incidents, the first between George Russell and Romain Grosjean and the second between Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen, both went down as racing incidents with no punishment, re-iterating the stewards' stance on hard but fair racing, following the fallout of Sebastian Vettel's five second penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix.

In the last few races, we have seen more leniency towards hard racing, particularly with Charles Leclerc's aggressive defending on Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix.

Masi said in Singapore: “At the driving briefing, I expressed my opinion about where the boundaries of what is permitted are, and the drivers are happy to participate in that discussion.

“In the end, we came to a consensus but we need to keep working to establish where all these boundaries are. All the tracks are different, each incident is different, so you need to consider the specific cases separately.”

Masi also defended the use of the black and white flag during the Italian Grand Prix, adding: “The black and white flag has always been in our arsenal. So it’s not right to say it’s a new invention.

“Ultimately this is my first year in this position, so I need to keep working together with all the parties. Did I expect the reaction that all of this has caused? Probably not.”