Masi stands by his decision: 'Each case will be assessed separately'

The Formula One stewards are busy with many things during a Grand Prix weekend. They judge the respect of track limits and they look at incidents and duels. Often it is judged on a case by case basis, as the FIA cannot make a rule that applies in every situation. Michael Masi tells Motorsport.com that this will continue to be the case in the future, even though some drivers are unhappy with this inconsistency.

It is very difficult for the FIA to set up rules which apply to all circumstances, as every race and every overtaking action is different. This bothers a lot of drivers because it means there is never any clarity. The FIA has tried to make it a bit clearer, but still there will never be one rule that applies in every situation. "We have clarified the scenario. Some drivers agreed, others not so much. They were given some general pointers, but we were also very clear that each individual case will be assessed separately."

Every incident is different

The main reason for assessing each case individually is that each incident has different consequences, both for the race and its outcome and for a title fight or a driver's health. "We have to take into account that it is difficult to deal with two identical incidents. You always try to say that an incident is identical to a previous incident, but in reality it's not, and I think that's where sometimes the perceived inconsistency comes in."