Verstappen keeps Austrian GP win as stewards clear him over Leclerc collision

2019 Austrian Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

Max Verstappen has been confirmed as the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix after the stewards cleared him over his collision with Charles Leclerc.

The Red Bull and Ferrari drivers made contact at the exit of turn three while disputing the lead. Verstappen described the contact as “hard racing” but Leclerc called for a penalty on his radio after the race.

After speaking to both drivers and deliberating the issue for several hours, the stewards ruled neither was to blame for the incident.

“Car 33 [Verstappen] sought to overtake car 16 at turn three on lap 69 by out-braking car 16 [Leclerc],” they noted. “When doing so, car 33 was alongside car 16 on the entry of the corner and was in full control of the car while attempting the overtaking move on the inside of car 16.

“However, both car 33 and car 16 proceeded to negotiate the corner alongside each other but there was clearly insufficient space for both cars to do so. Shortly after the late apex, while exiting the corner, there was contact between the two cars.

“In the totality of the circumstances, we did not consider that either driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident. We consider that this is a racing incident.”

Don't miss anything new from RaceFans

Follow RaceFans on social media:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2019 F1 season

Browse all 2019 F1 season articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

256 comments on “Verstappen keeps Austrian GP win as stewards clear him over Leclerc collision”

  1. W00p w00p!

    Hopefully this is a precedent for on-track fights in the future!!

    1. It is not a precedent.
      Just a decision based on facts.

      If other cases have different facts, outcomes might and will be different.

      1. So it’s alright to not leave space for someone to overtake you then. Clearly. So vettel really shouldn’t have been penalised in Canada then. Funny world this

        1. Blaize Falconberger (@)
          30th June 2019, 19:45

          ((facepalm))

          1. @timeslides You officially win the best name and handle on here. As a fellow Dwarfer, I salute you.

        2. Vettel in Canada went off the track by himself..rejoining in an unsafe manner…if he had then let Lewis by..there would have been no penalty…today Max first left room then next time not…if charles had kept going flat after running wide..as Lewis did when rosberg did the same a few years back…he could have come out still in front…charles is a good driver..but needs to improve his racecraft

          1. @jop452

            What????!!!! Since when do drivers have to let competitors pass by after going off track when they haven’t gained any advantage in any way? Where exactly was Vettel dangerous? He was fully back on track when Hamilton was still fully behind. Hamilton made the decision to go for a gap which was disappearing and then wisely aborted. Absolutely ridiculous logic. Total facepalm.

          2. bobec

            Since they are required to enter track safely, if there are other drivers around! vettel was fully back, but you fail to mention, after missing the corner and not trying to control the car but rather trying to accelerate and in doing so causing more danger to others around…

          3. @mysticus

            There was no one around Vettel and he regained control safely. By that time Hamilton had caught up and tried to go for a gap, which he is not entitled to. There is absolutely no precedent and there is absolutely no reason for Vettel to wave Hamilton through. Maybe apart from the fact it was Hamilton….

        3. Silly.

          That case was absolutely different. And had a different outcome.
          Get over it.

      2. On the facts, it is a new precedent.
        I look forward to Leclerc pushing Verstappen off in similar circumstances… and I’m fairly sure Verstappen’s rhetoric would be rather different.

        1. A few years back, Hamilton punted Max off the track. Not even an investigation back then. Once Max was ahead of Chuck, it was his corner to take the racing line.

        2. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want this to be a penalty and I’m glad it wasn’t. But if the stewards want to be seen as consistent with the last couple of races then this was a slam dunk for Max.

      3. Can someone find a video in which a move like Verstappen’s was NOT penalized?

        1. Forcing people off track is popular, verstappen in brazil 2016 on vettel, rosberg and hamilton in austria 2016, remember there was a penalty to rosberg for finishing the race with front wing severely damaged, not for the incident.

          1. @esploratore: Brazil 2016 was under heavy rain, that’s an entirely different scenario (plus Vers gave Vettel a lot of space). In Austria 2016 Rosberg got a 10 second penalty, and I’m asking about cases in which there was NO penalty.

        2. Same race, Norris and Raikonnen.
          And pretty much very race, ever, since the first race… it’s an extremely common move.

          1. That was in the first lap. First lap incidents are never penalized unless they are very dangerous. We all know that, we’re all happy with that, so not a valid example.

        3. @alonshow hamilton did it to rosberg many times in 2014-15. leclerc just didn’t have the right position.

          1. Yeah agree. The only way for Leclerc to win was to be on the inside every time. He wasn’t. He pulled off an amazing move to stay ahead while being on the outside on the previous lap, but you can’t do that twice, and I don’t know why he tried. It almost looked like he went into the corner with that as his strategy because it worked last time around. That however was a mistake.

          2. @frood19: The reason I’m asking, as you can guess, is that so far I haven’t seen a move like Verstappen’s go unpenalized (in a dry race, outside the first lap, etc.) Can you give two or three examples of those “many times in 2014-15”?

      4. Indeed. Max was ahead and had the line.

    2. This ruling is political, not based on existing rules. It is a de facto change of rules mid-season in response to outcry over poorly written rules and inconsistent Interpretation of said rules. Liberty’s management of F1 should go down in infamy for their waffling,incompetent management, and given F1’s history, that is saying something. It is appalling, and discouraging for lifelong racing participants and fans alike.
      To those of you in the racing media, please bravely address these issues with a united front and resist the bullying of management, teams, and partisan hacks.

      1. Liberty is the commercial rights owner. They have nothing to do with the government of the sport. That’s the FIA. If news comes out that Liberty had a say in this, that would be awful. I don’t think they did though.

  2. Let the recriminations begin

    1. @ahxshades, well, I wonder if they were influenced by the fact that some of the Dutch broadcasters were actively calling for people to riot if the stewards did penalise Verstappen (for example, I believe Doornbos was calling for the fans to tear the place down to the ground if the stewards decided to penalise him).

      1. Do you have evidence?

        If the allegation is true, the perpetrators should be brought to account.

        1. It isn’t true, just Anon spouting his usual BS. Doornbos jokingly mentioned that the might do that. Off course he’s nog call upon the crowd to riot.

      2. Omg I watched the broadcast and Doornbos did nog say that. Please get your facts straight or learn some Dutch.

      3. No no, he said that this might would happen (but with a smile, an ment to be as an over-top-remark).

        Besides, as if a) the stewards would take this in consideration and b) have the time to watch all the Dutch broadcasts (tv/radio/internet) and translate them to see if there were any signs of this.

        1. True or not true…but considering how many fans were in orange…reversing the result, they would not have been happy….and I bet most stayed at the track to hear what the stewards(rightly) decided.

          1. But still they’re race fans, not soccer hooligans.

          2. Soccer hooligans are mostly interested in fighting other fans not having tantrums over bad refereeing (which happens multiple times per match) In which case the soccer fans are stronger characters than the alleged potential behaviour of Verstappen’s F1 fans.

      4. Some other national TV broadcasters were reporting similar things.

  3. Eureka.
    As people were saying, if that’s the spirit of the rules, the rules need changing.
    If they need this long to decide, it clearly wasn’t an open and shut penalty.
    Verstappen didn’t push, left space… could have turned in earlier, but totally fair.

    And once and for all, can all the pathetic people stop with demonising F1’s second best driver, the man making the only excitement happen? Crashtappen, that hot-head, cheat, all that nonsense. You haven’t been paying attention if you still think that, and should be ashamed at how childish, biased and frankly sad you are.

    This was the best race of the year. By miles. Guess what caused it?

    1. It is not a best race of the season.
      Far from it

      1. @dallein The 2nd best only bettered by Bahrain.

        1. I would still disagree.

          You all say it is the best only because ot was not Mercedes on the top. And because of nothing else.

          1. Igreed. It was the best race of the last 3 seasons, not only 2019.

          2. @dallein Yeah, you’re right. Because in all the races that Mercedes get a 1-2 in (with the exception of Bahrain), you always see Hamilton winning from 7th place, or a huge wheel-to-wheel battle between him and Bottas for the lead? Right? Right? Wrong.

          3. OK, you’re troling and trying really hard to irk people, but your statement “…because of nothing else” just doesn’t make any sense. The winner came back from 8th in the first lap and passed on track 3 other top cars: Vettel, Bottas, Leclerc. That’s almost unheard of in current F1.

          4. @gechichan, no, I am not trolling anyone.
            @mashiat, keep saying this. When Hamilton wins, no matter from which position, there are only moans.

          5. It IS trolling.

            Your 2 statement have nothing to do with one another.

            And because of nothing else

            is not base don anything, you just throw it out there. Then when someone calls you on it you say

            When Hamilton wins, no matter from which position, there are only moans.

            One has nothing to do with the other. Therefor you are just spouting random statements to irk people, the definition of trolling.

            If you first comment was to be considered valid, tell us why you think that , then it becomes an actual opinion instead of easily thrown out there comment.

            I don’y want to make this personal or anything. But just throwing a random statement in there and then thinking it is a valid opinion without substantiating why just makes you look dumb…..

      2. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
        30th June 2019, 18:59

        Yes it is. Australia was an improvement, but that bar was low, Bahrain was quite good, China was dreary, Baku was dreary, Spain was awful as ever, Monaco was Monaco, Canada was dissapointing and that was before the penalty controversy, France was poor, and this race was actually exciting.

        Aside from the usual midfield scrap, we had an actual fight at the front. Mercedes were nowhere. There was actual overtaking in the top 5. And Norris beat a Red Bull.

        1. Largely agree @justarandomdutchguy, just watched the race on replay (was travelling, so only spotty f1 app commentary after the start), yeah, it was great to see racing going on.

          Have to have the proviso that the only reason Mercedes being nowhere was a positive, is because they’d been winning all of them so far, so it’s a bit of variation. If it would have been that way until now, or last from now on, that would be as almost as sad as ferrari (and, frankly, until now Red Bull, apart from Verstappen) not performing as they should have until this weekend (almost, bc. they still have a very big lead in WDC and WCC, so they would still be in that fight for a while).

          1. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
            30th June 2019, 19:50

            @bosyber, of course, that fact being a positive is completely dependent on the circumstances. Williams is even more nowhere and noone is considering that to be a positive

          2. Yep indeed @justarandomdutch – even as I think most of us thought it in a way positive that Russell got to actually race more than his teammate, that was at the same time sad, because it wasn’t so much Williams doing better, but sadly, a confirmation of the low point that Haas is experiencing at the moment..

        2. Montréalais (@)
          1st July 2019, 3:45

          @justarandomdutchguy Yes, for me this was the most exciting and satisfying racing I’ve seen this year. This is what I started watching F1 for: tight seesaw battles in the midfield and at the front. I was cheering for Leclerc as much as for Verstappen, even though I am usually a Mercedes fan. This was racing! For me it was almost spoiled during the wait for the stewards’ decision. I hope we don’t have to go through that again.

    2. It’s definitely the best race of the year no matter what that blind lunatic of a troll says for the hundredth time. As to what caused it? In large part the unusual absence of same old guys at the front.

    3. Well, fact is he he caused the collision.

      Nice or not, figures of previous experiences talk for his nicknames – they may all change as/if he matures and behaviours evolve. In my world, it’s MadMax for now…even if I enjoy very much parts of his creative, great driving! As I did with his predecessors’ I respect, even if some were severely punished…

    4. Just to be clear: I hate the orange horde. They go so far in their enthusiasm and tribalism. But that’s not him.

      1. If anything, I’d like to see the orange horde be even more enthusiastic. Borussia Dortmund supporters style. That would be a sight.

      2. @hahostolze I too hate the orange horde, but also Jos, and Max’s often bad attitude. But he is a good driver. Would like to see him in a non-Red-Bull where the team doesn’t necessarily work around him though. With an equal teammate I think he might try too hard again like he did at the start of last year. And being equal with Sainz seemed to really get under his skin.

        1. And being equal with Sainz seemed to really get under his skin.

          you are probably a sainz fan and thats good. But Sainz never was “as good” as VER. The reason RBR took him was for his talent and his results on track. He beat Sainz on every occasion.
          Sainz is on very friendly terms wit VER and there is no tension like the media suggested in de TR time.
          Only the two fathers and the Spanish media created that tension.

  4. A good decision.

    1. And yet an inconsistent one.

      There really was no winning today. and it’s entirely their own fault.

      1. The only proper decision and hardly inconsistent…we have seen LH do this several times.

        1. F1oSaurus (@)
          30th June 2019, 20:30

          @robbie We have never seem Hamilton do this.

          Verstappen was behind Leclerc going into the corner. Hamilton only does this when hje is ahead and therefore has the right to the racing line.

          If you don’t understand the subtleties of the rules then you will not see the difference, but still.

          Still we have seen Ricciardo do this several times and get away with it. Vettel also does this now and then.

          On the other hand we have seen Verstappen and Rosberg do this and they did get penalties.

          1. @f1osaurus Is the rule that the driver ahead has the right to the racing line, or the driver on the inside has the right to the racing line, and it just happens that usually that is the driver who is ahead defending the inside.

          2. F1oSaurus (@)
            30th June 2019, 21:51

            @hugh11 It’s about being ahead when the braking starts. Or at least that;s how the stewards usually interpret the rules (ie not in this case). Indeed the drivers often talk about being on the inside would give you the racing line and then they are always surprised the stewards rule against them.

            Perhaps the stewards should sit with the drivers for once and explain them the rules and how they are interpreted.

            Actually also to the fans. Most fans don’t understand the difference when a driver is allowed to leave no space and when they have to leave space. They just think drivers always need to leave space. Although is (ot should be) clear that they don’t though.

            On the other hand it’s also a huge case of mental gymnastics. If Leclerc had done this to Verstappen, both their opinions about the incident would switch 180 degrees as well.

          3. @f1osaurus

            he has a broken tape looping the same thing over and over and over… since he is brain damaged and wearing blinkers, no reason to take anything he says seriously… or a possible troll and has no idea what racing is…

          4. 2015 US GP.

          5. F1oSaurus (@)
            6th July 2019, 19:45

            @robbie Lol, thanks for proving my point then …

        2. @robbie stop making things up.

  5. Ok, if Stewards decided that way, I have no problems accepting their decision.

  6. Wow. For once I agree with the stewards. Am I sick?

  7. but there was clearly insufficient space for both cars

    so, does the track end at the white line or does it not?
    don’t agree with this tbh.
    it’s also not as if verstappen was unable to do it clean. frustrating to me.

    1. sorry, misread that as ‘sufficient’. still disagree though. if ‘forcing off track’ is a thing i don’t see how this wasn’t that thing.

      1. ‘Forcing off track’ of track is a thing, but that doesn’t mean that drivers always have to leave space. Sometimes the other driver has to brake.

      2. It’s about how much Max owned that corner by the time he was squeezing CL, and how in control he was. Note too his on-board where he clearly never jinks his steering wheel left towards CL. Max owned enough of the corner early enough that the onus was on CL to either back off or go wide.

        1. Montréalais (@)
          1st July 2019, 3:48

          +1

  8. Jelle van der Meer (@)
    30th June 2019, 18:58

    Good – silly that it was even investigated.

    If there was no run off area Leclerc would have backed off. He should have defended the inside or accept defeat and not try to screw another driver into a penalty.

    1. If there was a wall, we will have Bottas winning this race. Just to mention

    2. Dutch fans all have the same view… surpise surpise.

      1. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
        30th June 2019, 19:52

        Foul, hasty generalisation
        The invesitgation is nothing out of the ordinary, but regardless of the outcome, it could’ve been decided a bit sooner.

        1. Find me a dutch guy with a different view, can you?

          1. The Dutch F1 show had 1 racing driver guest that thought the move broke some rules, I know some people that didn’t like it. It’s the Dutch , not the British.
            What everyone agrees on is that it’s moronic to change the result after the podium ceremony. If the move was against the rules, it shouldn’t take 3 hours to figure that out. If it does that means the stewards aren’t sure and if they aren’t sure they shouldn’t penalize.

      2. Montréalais (@)
        1st July 2019, 3:50

        @philby -1 xenophobic generalization

  9. Inconsistent stewards. Glad to see some things never change.

    1. Totally consistent.
      While I don’t like the decision, it is the correct one.

      1. @dallein It is inconsistent, as much as I personally do think it’s the right decision, it is definitely inconsistent.

        1. Blaize Falconberger (@)
          30th June 2019, 19:07

          Inconsistent with what? All incidents are different…

          1. @timeslides Forcing another car off the track usually results in a penalty. And it’s not like Leclerc was behind and should have backed off, as can sometimes be the case – look at the lap before

          2. Forcing another car off the track *especially when they’re side by side. There have been plenty of incidents in the past

          3. But has there been many penalties ?
            Verstappen don’t turn his wheel to the left. Sure, he brakes late and turns late but he doesn’t turn into Leclerc.
            Hamilton did this to Rosberg and others many times and never got a penalty. You could argue that Hamilton is favorised, but I do believe it’s not the case there : as long as you don’t turn into the other car, you don’t get a penalty. And if you look at the rules, there is nothing preventing drivers to do what Max did.

            The rules may be bad, but according to the FIA regulation, this decision is fair.

          4. Jamie B,

            There have been plenty of incidents of forcing others of the track.
            But this was not the case. Leclerc was just as much to blame as Verstappen.

          5. @Jamie B forcing a car off the track is not what happened here. Forcing would have been when VER deliberately steered to the left. Just keeping the racing line resulting in a car off track is not penalty worthy and never has been.

          6. Ref, if you do a direct comparison of Verstappen’s onboard from the lap before, you will see he clearly opened his steering lock towards the outside of the corner, went wider than the racing line, and allowed the car to drift into Leclerc deliberately. Rosberg has done exactly the same thing to Verstappen in Hockenheim 2016 and was penalised 5 seconds for it.

            So, in conclusion, inconsistent as it gets. Neither incident should have been a penalty imo, but this is clearly inconsistent. It seems to be selective eyesight for some people

            On a side-note, regarding that incident, Verstappen himself said “he just doesn’t give space on the exit, and that’s not fair”. So regardless of what anyone says or thinks (me included) about this incident and and the one in Germany, based on that quote, Verstappen is a hypocrite.

          7. Jamie B
            here is for your entertainment
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb2TjLxz5hU

            this incident is carbon copy of lewis/ros austria incident not max vs lec! if you watch it, ros like in austria forgets to turn in!

            max here turns and fully locked the steering nothing else he can do…
            why people are so simple minded to understand clear enough stuff?
            i guess people think like vettel and his mentaily of ferrari drivers are always faultless ? if they gain something, rules are ok, if they loose something, burn the rule book!

      2. Correct yes, consistent? with what?

      3. DAllein: I agree. This incident was less clear-cut than the previous one, and this one could have gone either way, especially if there wasn’t a “clean” runoff area for LeClerc.

        The move Max made is very common in other racing series; … following closely and then dropping into the leader’s racing line, while squeezing the leader off the line. Having been on both sides of this type of move dozens of times, I can almost guarantee that both Max and Charles felt that the move was at least a bit dirty.

        1. Chuck, I’ve SCCA raced for a bunch of years and agree with your last sentence 100%.

  10. Phew. Good call.

    1. i dont know what/why they even investigated, it was 100% legal move… only thing that was messed up was lec not pushing hard enough (or ferrari not letting him when he wanted to) ferrari always find a way to mess up things, only consolation they had was bringing seb in to keep him safe and attack hamilton again, but that was really risky still…. in a way they were really lucky hamilton had damage and their car still not very well suited hot and high altitude tracks….

      investigation was yoke, and result was a karma! :)

      1. @mysticus It seems to have gone unmentioned too that Leclerc made no attempt to defend a corner Verstappen had attempted to pass him at the lap before. I mean, why not? He left the inside line wide open knowing Verstappen was there. By braking later, the latter was able to exit first on a normal line – albeit one that shut out Leclerc, now behind him! There are two criticisms of this move of late braking into the inside: one valid, I think, the other not so. If the driver brakes so late that they can’t actually make the corner without going off, and even rely on contact with the outside driver to slow them down and keep them on track, it should be a penalty (if the outcome favours them or disfavours the other driver). But if the inside line driver stays on track, the outside driver does have the opportunity to brake early and perform a switchback – which is the common tactic if the inside driver goes very deep, which invariably causes them to lose a lot of speed. The fact is Leclerc gave Verstappen room to pass inside without compromising his own exit, and failed to set himself up for a switchback. He was simply beaten to the corner, continuing to steer into Verstappen after he’d lost.

  11. Ooof. Dangerous precedent.

    Just wait, in a race or two, someone is gonna throw a move from 200 metres back, push another car off the circuit and drive off, and then say “Well it was ok for Max”.

    And it’ll depend which end of it Hamilton is on before the fans throw their two pennies in!

    This is gonna come back to haunt them. They’ve bottled it.

    1. GtisBetter (@)
      30th June 2019, 19:06

      We have seen plenty of those moves and most of the times the driver doing the divebomb can’t make the turn, due to locking up, which makes it an easy penalty. I don’t this will change anything.

    2. Everyone knows that stewarding is inconsistent. And an argument like “It was ok for Max” just don’t fly in F1. If someone will try it it’s not because of stewarding precedence, but because of hard racing or alternatively incompetence. And if it results in an accident, the stewards will review it again and decide afresh… Again. And we and the press will talk to the death about it. Again and again. Nothing new here.

    3. After scanning the rules, I don’t see any rule that disallows the ‘buddy brake’. So I guess they found a loophole.

  12. GtisBetter (@)
    30th June 2019, 18:59

    Common sense.

  13. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
    30th June 2019, 19:00

    Good. Now let’s forget all of this and be happy we had an entertaining race for once.
    Also, lets hope Leclerc does get that first win soon. he deserves one.

    1. With Ferrari actively sabotaging itself… not so sure he will

  14. If I were Ferrari boss, I would skip the British GP to protest the fact that Ferrari was robbed of 2 victories.

    1. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
      30th June 2019, 19:02

      No they weren’t. 1 victory at best.

    2. Agree, it’s the one where Leclerc’s car failed him.

    3. Robbed they might have been, but (especially in today’s case) they placed themselves in harm’s way. There is nothing that justifies the team’s tyre strategy forcing leclerc (poleman) to race on junk for the last 15 laps of the race.

      The decisions were both terrible and both cost victories that were deserved by the drivers, but not by the team, and the team should reflect on that, rather than find an excuse for every failure.

      1. Enlighten us, please! LEC himself told media after Quali, when Mercedes raised questions regarding his starting tyres, that his strategy is best they can have for the race. In hindsight, I agree with him. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they could have pitted him later in order to have fresher tyres for the 2nd stint. Have doubts it would helped enough to keep VER behind.

    4. Bruno Verrari
      30th June 2019, 20:55

      +1

  15. Ferrari frantically scrambling together Karun Chandhok’s analysis!

    1. You got a chuckle out of me :)

    2. if anything, to absolutely destroy stewards, they are taking maldonado’s overwhelming advices/analysis :)

  16. After watching so many replays. I think that’s the right decision. Vestappen got the corner. Leclerc should have given up the corner and try to get into the slipstream at the exit. Although to be honest Leclerc knew full well that it’s Max’s race. I’m actually quite disappointed in his and Ferrari’s reaction to it.

    1. His reaction is normal, he’s a kid that just lost something he cared about and worked for, hard. And was full of adrenaline to the brim.

      Ferrari’s reaction is inevitable, forced by the rules. They arn’t the most elegant communicators, but they simply did what they are required to (in terms of penalty-seeking).

    2. F1oSaurus (@)
      30th June 2019, 20:33

      @kamto You shouldn’t “get the corner” by divebombing. The driver who is ahead at the time they both start braking has the rights to the racing line, not the one who comes from behind and doesn’t brake on time to make the corner normally.

      1. Really? So each and every one of Ricciardo’s celebrated divebombs is a foul in your book? Also, most (if not TOTALLY ALL) corner overtakes from Ham, Vet, Bot etc? Only overtake on straights, is that what you’re suggesting?

        1. F1oSaurus (@)
          30th June 2019, 21:58

          @clearbrooke Yes the odd thing is that a dive bomb is somehow legal if no contact occurs. Yet if the cars collide then the penalty goes to the dive bomber. I agree it’s nuts, but that is how it works. No “incident” no investigation and no penalty. That’s why this bullying is actually being promoted and is getting worse.

          And yes Hamilton generally overtakes in corners by being ahead at the braking point. You could see this again today against Norris. When he’s not ahead he yields, when he is ahead he takes the racing line. Which will potentially put the car who was behind off track and that’s allowed. Raikkonen did it too.

          Also, please stop it with the ridiculous hyperbole.

          1. You are entitled to your opinion as is everyone else here!

            Try to get used to that

  17. Josh (@canadianjosh)
    30th June 2019, 19:01

    Thank goodness, as I currently sit watching a replay I can do so with great enjoyment as Max is currently chasing Charles down with 10 to go. On a side note I fully agree with the stewards decision, racing incident. Today was F1, it is the reason we wake up early if you live where I do to watch these races. It was a legendary drive from Max and its a drive that I’ll remember forever. After almost falling asleep a week ago watching France I find myself saying, days like today are why the boring races don’t matter. I watch every race every year because I love F1. Cheers!

    1. Montréalais (@)
      1st July 2019, 3:58

      Cheers! @canadianjosh You said it…”days like today are why the boring races don’t matter”… +1

  18. A sensible decision.

  19. As it should be whenever there is close racing, so the correct decision from that viewpoint.

    But it is inconsistency from the stewards. I can totally understand why Ferrari fans will be so disappointed and feel this is unfair.

    1. I can totally understand why Ferrari fans

      and even LEC, he drove his ass off but got passed by the better driver. Of course you will be disappointed.

  20. Neil (@neilosjames)
    30th June 2019, 19:03

    Amazed it took them this long to make what looked like an entirely straightforward decision.

    The only way it could have been a penalty is if Verstappen had deliberately, and by a reasonable distance, delayed his turn-in to force Leclerc wide at the exit (as Rosberg did to Hamilton at the same corner a few years ago). But watched it many times and there didn’t seem to be any evidence of that.

    If you’ve taken the corner normally on a proper line, the guy on the outside at the exit has no right to anything.

    1. I think the worst thing Verstappen did was open his steering a little bit just before the contact (visible in the onboard slowmo replays); before this slight movement his steering wheel was pretty much at the same angle. As Leclerc turned in at the same time, the contact happened. Hard racing? Yes. Worthy of a penalty? Probably not. Had the steering movement been bigger, maybe.

  21. Right Decision, but took far too long and that’s not great for F1.

    Looking ahead: Max, and no one but Max, will be the champion Ferrari is waiting for.
    It’s over for Seb.

    1. Josh (@canadianjosh)
      30th June 2019, 19:13

      You could be right but I think either Max or Lewis and even Charles can deliver for Ferrari and Vettel drove like a beast today. One more lap and he was going to be on the podium.

      1. @canadianjosh He was wearing almost new tyres, and the stickiest ones at that, with low fuel at a track where passing is relatively easy… In the fastest car.

        1. Josh (@canadianjosh)
          30th June 2019, 19:54

          What’s your point? He almost got a podium after starting 10th.

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            30th June 2019, 20:39

            He started 9th and was sixth after the start and ahead of Verstappen. So yes he had a good start (on the fastest tyres in the fastest car), but how does that equate “drive like a beast”?

            Vettel didn’t even get the fastest lap while he was running on faster tyres in a faster car than Verstappen and doing a stop more.

          2. @f1osaurus — that says more about the alleged fastest car than the driver itself. Otherwise, LEC drove a disgraceful race, losing from 1st to a guy who came from 7th.
            It’s clear you don’t like VET, but try to be fair sometimes. Just drop the bias and the credibility of your posts may raise a bit.

            I agree with @canadianjosh here, VET drove a great race, mainly if we consider he got screwed up by his team. It’s patent Ferrari overlooks the 2nd car in the race. I hope people remember that before pointing out nonsenses like they’re sabotaging LEC’s races just to make VET happy.

            As for @Islander, it’s just wishful thinking. Ferrari has no capability of making their drivers champions. In a team that Ickx, Prost, Mansell couldn’t win, that Piquet preferred to not even waste time, and other drivers that failed having the upper hand like Alonso, Massa, etc., you can’t state things like that without being foolhardy.

          3. F1oSaurus (@)
            6th July 2019, 19:53

            @niefer Well, Leclerc was again given the wrong strategy. As usual they gave Vettel a slightly better one.

            Vettel was ahead of Verstappen at some point and ended well back from him though. So what were you saying about disgraceful races?

            What does bias have to do with anything? Vettel has been driving sub par since 2014. In fact even in 2009 he was horrible. He throws away so many race wins and points with his incessant blundering, it boggles the mind.

            7 races completely ruined in 2018 alone. And then people complain Mercedes has a “stranglehold” on F1. How about Ferrari is giving it away? Bahrain, Baku, Canada and Austria are all races they should have won. Especially Vettel since he’s the one they keep focusing all their efforts on. Yet he spins off in Bahrain, utterly fails in quali for Baku, flies off again in Canada and with “nobody was to blame” everybody understand he knows he broke the car banging it over that kerb in Austria Q2.

            You shjould try to look beyond your love for the guy and realise how poor he is. Give him the fastest car and a designated #2 team mate and no opposition during the race, then and only then can he indeed perform. But then which F1 driver wouldn’t?

          4. @f1osaurus – Cut the bullcrap! You make up things just to adequate your narrative filled with hatred towards a driver. I don’t know what is your problem, but it’s clear you only argument to downplay Vettel’s abilities. And, of course, downplays Merc’s might just to probably elevate Hamilton’s feats, as if he needed any help on that matter. As I said, you don’t like Vettel, that’s fair enough. But don’t think of everyone around this community as a bunch of fools. Now, if you truly believe in what you write, just go seek help.

            As for your compiled nonsenses:
            – First things first, learn to understand the written text accordingly: both LEC and VET drove great races.
            – LEC got the same strategy VET got. Only difference was the usual pit for FL. You seem to struggle grasping the reality that Ferrari overlooks the strategy of whoever comes behind. That’s why VET got parked at his pit stop btw, but I’m sure you blame him instead of the crew.
            – Everyone was ahead of VER, yet only VET’s race was the bad one. Yeah, right.
            – Well, here it goes your bias: I won’t even dispute how long VET was sub par since 2014, because it’s pointless. But to say his 2015 season was sub par/horrible is just laughable.

            everybody understand he knows he broke the car banging it over that kerb in Austria Q2.

            I’m sure there are many voices in your head. Again, laughable.

            – It’s really funny that being so sub par in a car that suits LEC better (as himself once said), VET still laps faster and points more often. Say whatever you want about prioritizing VET, but the truth is whoever qualifies ahead gets the preferred strategy. The other gets screwed as we can see since Day 1.

            – There is nothing for the guy apart from respect. He is a hell of a driver, a worthy multiple champion. There is no way a multiple (>2x) WDC is poor. Now, with your head, it’s another story…

          5. F1oSaurus (@)
            11th July 2019, 19:29

            @niefer What’s this nonsense about hatred? I have no hatred for Vettel. I’m simply stating facts.

            It is YOU who should face reality for a change.

            LEC had a great race given the poor strategy that he got. VET had a decent race at best. Driving the fastest car and he finished an uninspiring P4. Yay! I guess that’s enough for “Vettel drove like a beast” for some people.

            LEC was on a poor strategy from the get go and he was destined to suffer the same fate as the pole sitter in F2 losing the race on tyre life at the end. As predicted up front by the way. At least by me. Although at the time I didn’t know Verstappen would make it hard on himself that much.

            LEC got the same strategy VET got. Only difference was the usual pit for FL.

            Lol, oops, but you’re thinking of another race there dude. ROFLCOPTER!

            Vettel did a 21 lap third stint. Vettel ran a regular 2 stop race vs a 1 stop for Leclerc.

            Sorry, but I can’t bother with the rest of your nonsense.

          6. @f1osaurus if it’s not hatred, then it’s settled: saltiness. Either way, it’s pathetic to say the least.
            Same tyre strategy: Started with softs, pitted for hards. VET’s 2nd stop was disposable, because it was just for the FL.
            I wonder how do you figured Ferrari was the fastest car on race trim. But you know what, never mind. I won’t feed the troll any more.

          7. F1oSaurus (@)
            13th July 2019, 21:50

            @niefer You can call me a troll all you want, but there is nothing trolling in stating facts. Vettel made a pitstop 21 laps before the end of the race. 21 LAPS! That is a full STINT and not just an FL attempt.

            Vettel himself actually talked about his race being a 2 stop race … So ehm … yeah. Awkward!

            If even after watching the race you are still confused why Leclerc was on the wrong strategy, then maybe you should also watch the F2 race and see how the driver there starting on soft tyres also failed to keep the guy starting on medium tyres behind at the end of the race.

            Verstappen could go 9 laps longer on the medium tyres and therefore could extract more speed from the hard tyres till the end of the race.

            Apart from the history showing that it was a bad idea, Red Bull and Mercedes both (and pretty much every pundit) explained that Ferrari chose the wrong strategy for Leclerc. But of course I’m the troll because you don’t want to hear any of this this …

            Sad. Very sad. Grow up.

        2. @psynrg

          He was wearing almost new tyres……..

          They were approaching around 20 laps old at the end of the race.

          1. @asanator Yes, I should have said relatively new, but short lap & light fuel load applicable. I’m just questioning the “drove like a beast” element. Had he caught and passed Max to win then I would concur; as it was, just making up the relative performance gap…

  22. Told ya LEC is not HAM!

    In the totality of the circumstances, we did not consider that either driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident.

    Yeah, right… LEC created the incident indeed… cause he braked later than needed! These stewards are a joke indeed if they come publicly with these kind of arguments.

    1. Also, these guys found that 1 driver (= HAM) using a system (= the brakes) for its main purpose to avoid collision with another driver (= VET) was dangerous, yet they did not find dangerous when another driver forgets to use the same system (= brakes) for its actual purpose although that really ended up in a collision with another car!! So, as HAM said in Canada, every driver can forget to brake, collide with other drivers and push them off-track in order to overtake. Starting now…..

      PS: funny now the telemetry is not mentioned at all and/or asked by the stewards.

      1. The anti-Ferrari sentiment is strong around here.

  23. Considering there was a small movement of the steering wheel to the left – in the direction of Leclerc -, clearly visible on Verstappen’s onboard cam, this incident would easily qualify as causing a collision, well worth a penalty.

    On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the best message about the sport if two out of the past three races are won by the guy crossing the finish line second. So, as @dallein says, if the stewards ruled this way, then there is nothing else to do but accept their decision.

    The cleanest and most sporting solution for Verstapeen would have been to hand back the position, and retake it during the course of the last two laps.

    1. GtisBetter (@)
      30th June 2019, 19:20

      There is a video on the F1 twitter feed with te video, could you say where he does it (like at what second), cause I missed it.

      https://twitter.com/F1/status/1145359843806416896?s=20

      1. 0:18 starting to un-lock the steering wheel towares Charles.

        1. GtisBetter (@)
          30th June 2019, 19:53

          Aaah, the opening of the wheel. For me it’s hard to judge as a non racing driver. I feel you can’t keep turning hard right as you will lose the back as you start to accelerate, so at one point you have to open up after the apex. Maybe someone else knows it better then me.

        2. He is not steering towards Leclerc. He is opening up the corner while going on the accelerator.

          If he does not do this, the car will either understeer into the side of Leclerc or oversteer hitting Leclerc with the rear tires.

          As the stewards clearly states. They both negotiate the corner, there is only room for one.

          Since Ver is already along side CL on the entry, he is entitled to the corner. If anyone is to blame, it is Leclerc. He is trying to force his car into a space that isn’t there.

          1. @kelvin38 @passingisoverrated That’s odd, he managed to leave space the previous lap perfectly fine

    2. F1oSaurus (@)
      30th June 2019, 20:44

      @palagyi I feel the problem is not so much that he turns further right, but more that he turns in waaaaay to late. Rosberg got a penalty for that in the same corner before. Plus again in Hockenheim.

      Although Verstappen wasn’t so blatant this time. Guess that saved him in the end.

      1. @f1osaurus The Rosberg incident in this corner was a case of not turning in, to be fair, but the Hockenheim incident was as identical as they come. Opened the steering lock on the exit and pushed Verstappen off. Inconsistent. Verstappen himself said “he just doesn’t give space on the exit, and that’s not fair”.

        1. The Hockenheim incident wasn’t a penalty to me, for the exact same reason today’s incident isn’t: The driver overtaking has ‘taken’ the corner sufficiently and the driver being overtaken (outside) was always going to run out of track.

        2. LEC turned in on VER, the only part missing here are the onboards of LEC, why is that?
          VER did not turn to LEC, he never did. He opened up after his car was past LEC’s and stayed on the racing line.
          If any penalty for steering in the direction of your opponent , LEC comes to mind but you have to look at his onboards. But they seem not available.

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            6th July 2019, 19:54

            Why would you need onboards for Leclerc, it’s clear what Verstappen did.

  24. Having watched it a few times I think it was a brilliantly aggressive move from Max. He knew precisely what he was doing.

    He drives hard and he knew that he had to get LeClerc out of the way – so that is what he did. Got him out of the way.

    The problem for me arises when you start talking about what is fair.
    It wasn’t fair.
    It was aggressive.
    It was – “I’m coming through little boy, step aside!”
    It was 100% racing – but it was against the rules.

    We have rules or we end up with Destruction Derby.

    On this one I would say no penalty –
    -but –
    “Max – be careful. Don’t go back to being a maniac”
    “Charles – when you get the chance (and you will) pay him back”

    1. @nullapax Still think Max could dial the aggression down 10%, achieve the same outcome and make life easier for himself.

      1. Agree. Max still had three laps to catch Lec and would have done so without controverse.

    2. Agree with this entirely. I think (and hope) Le Clerc will have his payback one day. I really like the guy and feel gutted he hasn’t had his win yet

      1. Ow he will, both are legends in the making. F1 fans should celebrate this day as the first major incident of a rivalry that will define the sport for the next decade.

    3. Fair is one thing, but legal is more important. This is one of clearest case of not leaving a car’s width.

    4. Agreed. I think there should have been a reprimand handed down by the stewards; a slap on the wrist and a warning that future occasions could be penalised.

      We were denied further hard, fair racing because he pushed Leclerc off the track. The battle was fantastic, and then it just ended with one pushing over the other and running away.

      This is a precedent which could further degrade “hard” racing into dodgem cars.

  25. Blaize Falconberger (@)
    30th June 2019, 19:13

    Sensible… bummer for Charles, but that’s racing. The decision said that they were equally to blame hence it was a racing incident. I suppose they could both had been issued a 5 sec penalty but that would have achieved nothing.

    Wait for the Ferrari diva-strop and tantrum… I have to say Charles has conducted himself with a great deal more decorum than his childish team mate.

    1. Josh (@canadianjosh)
      30th June 2019, 19:31

      Lol how? I agree 100% that Max won this race fair and square today but I still believe Seb got robbed. I love how Seb wasn’t a robot in Montreal and acted how he felt, having a personality isn’t a bad thing you know. We need that in this sport.

      1. Blaize Falconberger (@)
        30th June 2019, 20:03

        Well, believe what you like, but if he was robbed, it was by a set of rules that Ferrari have a veto over in the first place! Most commentators consider that relic of the past to be unfair – you could say that the rules are of Ferrari’s own making… but hey, that’s life!

        1. @timeslides

          it was by a set of rules that Ferrari have a veto over in the first place!

          LOL, I suggest you go and reacquaint yourself with what Ferrari’s Veto covers!

  26. The lettering of the rules makes this a bad decision. Max is obliged to leave a car’s width.

    1. Neil (@neilosjames)
      30th June 2019, 19:48

      There isn’t, and never has been, a requirement to leave a car’s width for a car on the outside at the exit of a corner.

      1. F1oSaurus (@)
        30th June 2019, 20:46

        @neilosjames When you are the one behind when going into corner there sort of is though.

        Rosberg got a penalty a few years back for a pretty similar offence in the same corner.

        1. Neil (@neilosjames)
          30th June 2019, 21:11

          @f1osaurus not if you’re taking a normal racing line. Drivers run opponents out of road at the exit most race weekends, and no one bats an eyelid.

          Rosberg was different – he deliberately deviated a long way from a normal line in order to push Hamilton off. Verstappen didn’t do that.

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            11th July 2019, 19:32

            @neilosjames Ehm yes Verstappen did exactly that. Look at the line he took the lap before. Or any lap for that matter.

            Oddly enough, the stewards stated that Verstappen did that on purpose to block Leclerc because the overtake didn’t stick the lap before. So they acknowledge that Verstappen was blocking Leclerc on purpose and that’s the reason they gave no penalty?!?!?!?!

  27. Imagine how fired up those drivers are with certain chemicals in overdrive. Yet we sit here on our sofas, claiming Max should have waited and Leclerc should have conceded.

    1. @bigjoe Supreme control of emotions and impulses are what set the pro’s apart!

  28. This decision should be dedicated to all those angry fans who screamed Ferrari International Assisstance. Your exuberance wont last long, lies tend to have short lifespans. Watching the golden boy getting preferential treatment just fueled my passion for F1.

    1. It’s the golden boy because he delivers almost every time. Its withing the rules and he discovers new and uncharted territories ( bit like star trek ;)
      Lets hope they ease the rules further next year. The VET penalty was an example of bad rules and should never been applied.

  29. All I have to say is that stewards in F1 are just too inconsistent. Good decision, but really makes a joke of the other penalties in similar situations (some without contact even). Stuff like that just devalues the sport if you ask me.

    1. @cobray This is pretty much my opinion too

      I think so much of it is down to having different stewards at every race. I cannot get my head round why they think this is a good thing. It’s like a dancing competition having a different judging panel for each act.

  30. Right decision only b/c it is the lesser of the two evils if they had overturned the decision.

    This reminds me of the lunge VER made on HAM in Monaco. HAM turned in, they made contact and then HAM left the track and maintained position only b/c of the shape of the corner. But we all agreed that VER would have been wrong. In this situation, VER went for the inside, but didn’t leave room for LEC to remain “safe”. The shape of the corner did not maintain the advantage for LEC, but we as fans allow it even though it was really a shove!

    All in all, we have to be careful when we say let them race thinking that the results will always be “safe” for the drivers. The rules are there for a reason.

    1. Totally different. Verstappen in no way had the corner or the line in Monaco. Which is the relevant factor.

  31. It was an amazing drive & recovery for Max – when I saw the pass I thought it was close to the line but it was racing. I was not surprised by the review and thought it was going LEC way when it took so long.

    I can understand if your favorite color is red, you will not be happy with 2 Canada & this race.

    There are only 2 things that are similar 1) a red car was involved & 2) the issue involved the lead of the race.

    Congrats to max for a memorable drive and Honda for a win.

    1. Lesson learned from today: Dive bomb all you want against the Dutch Brat and when find your investigation, call upon this precedent.

      1. Yeah, let’s do that!

  32. It’s a shame we were robbed of a potentially amazing battle for the lead that could have lasten until the chequered flag because of an illegal move by Verstappen

    1. *lasted

      1. Oh perhaps you missed that it was correctly deemed a racing incident. Therefore we indeed saw an amazing battle for the lead. An amazing drive by an amazing racer.

        1. An amazing drive from both no doubt about that. Either of them would have deserved the win. But the fact is Verstappen’s driving was against the rules and should have been penalised. I don’t particularly care what the stewards say, they’ve made a habit of making the wrong decision recently. I would have much rather seen Verstappen leave Leclerc room as he should have and continue the fight into turn 4 and potentially even further if he didn’t get the move completed there.

          1. @retardedf1sh It might be your opinion that Max’s driving was against the rules, but it is not a fact, as revealed by the stewards’ correct decision. Max did nothing wrong and that you would have preferred he leave CL more room is irrelevant. Max took ownership of the corner and the race in Champion level style.

    2. Josh (@canadianjosh)
      30th June 2019, 19:56

      Your name is very fitting.

    3. F1oSaurus (@)
      30th June 2019, 20:48

      @retardedf1sh That’s what I feel Vettel did in Canada.

      In this race at least we had a battle of them going through the same corner once before (with Verstappen still driving fairly) and indeed Leclerc got him back.

  33. im So disappointed that the stewards where not strong enough to make right decision under pressure from a fan base who can’t decide what they want.

    Inconsistent and .. wrong decision. Good race punctuated by a sporting low.

    F1 can no longer be considered a sport if the rules are optional.

    1. If rules only are “good” if they are applied with the result you wish the rules are even worse then they are now.
      So step over your fanship and enjoy two of the fastest drivers on the planet.

  34. The stewards say the drivers “negotiated” that corner. Probably, stewards had other negotiations in mind. How can anyone blame them? It’s RedBull’s home race. It’s Honda’s first victory from ages. And there were so many wild McLaren fans around the track. The peer pressure must have been enormously. It has been much easier for them at Canada and France.

    Previously, situations like this one have resulted in a definite penalty:
    – RIC vs BOT, HUN 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiyUUvLGGLY
    – HAM vs ROS, AST 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixmGVL4dedI
    – ROS vs VES/R, HOC 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQjAQ3AhTeE

    While hard and close battles are good, this actual one was at the level of country-side karting school. This was not professional F1. In a normal situation, a little consistency in judgement would have helped.

    On the positive side, it’s best for LEC that he didn’t gain his first victory in such a controversial way (for now).

    PS: I am neither VER, nor LEC supporter though I definitely enjoy VER moments ;)

    1. GtisBetter (@)
      30th June 2019, 20:37

      Ric vs bot: bottas brakes to late, locks up and hits ricciardo
      Ham vs ros: Rosberg just didn’t steer in. I was his corner, but you can’t just go straight.
      Ros vs ver: I would say this is the same as this incident as ham vs ros, except he does it right this time. Rosberg has the corner, waits just a little bit with steering in and forces max to adjust. I’d say this was not a penalty.

      1. VER vs LEC: Late braking and late turning quite outside the apex, forcing another drive alongside out of the track. No essential difference compared to HAM vs ROS situation.

        Ros vs ver: Yes, I had the same take for a moment back then. But later I reconsidered. It’s not proper racing if you push someone out of the track while you’re wheel to wheel. If you’re half a car length or completely in front it’s another story. This has been the accepted conduct of professional racing for ages. What VER did today was far from it.

    2. Both the Rosberg incidents, he was a mile off the racing line. I believe that Verstappen was still on the racing line, which he had the right to, being the driver on the inside. He went a bit deeper yes, but lot’s of drivers had gone that deep throughout the race, and compared to Rosberg’s it was a minor incident.

    3. F1oSaurus (@)
      30th June 2019, 20:51

      @passingisoverrated @hugh11, Verstappen turns in way to late this time too. Not as extreme as Rosberg perhaps, but he was not doing the normal racing line.

      If you want to see the normal racing line then go back to a lap before the incident and see how both cars do manage to “negotiate” the corner side by side without issue.

      1. GtisBetter (@)
        30th June 2019, 21:12

        I assume that because he was braking so late, he needed a little extra, but I don’t have the data to confirm. He does turns in a little later then usual and there is a bit of a grey area on how to deal with it, you have some margin it seems and no one likes another rule (if it’s even possible to make one). In the end it was probably a judgement call from the stewards.

    4. RIC v. BOT, Hungary: That’s a penalty because Bottas brakes too late and understeers into Daniel.

      HAM v. ROS, Austria: That’s a penalty because HAM was in front and ROS just doesn’t turn in until it’s too late.

      ROS v. VER, Germany: That’s not a pen because ROS has his car fully alongside on the inside and has properly ‘taken’ the corner from Max. This situation is actually very similar to what happened today imho, but with Verstappen being in the Leclerc-role here. I think Rosberg got a pen for that, but he shouldn’t have and neither should VER have today.

  35. Amid all the controversy, everyone forgets why Ferrari actually lost this race. They stuff it up again with their strategy. It’s not even funny anymore. The soft tire strategy obviously didn’t work. While Max was fantastic in the race, would he be able to catch Leclerc if Leclerc’s tires were in better condition? The fact Max only catch him 4 laps from the finish says Leclerc should be fine to me. So another comedy own goal from Ferrari. They are lucky all the controversy takes the heat off them.

    1. I agree, Ferrari should be lambasted. They had the best car this weekend and neither of their drivers won the race (AGAIN).

      Wrong tyres to start on meant shot tyres at the end of the race for Charles. THAT is what put them in harms way in the first place. Also, they messed up Vettel’s qualifying AND they messed up his pitstop.

      1. Yep, agreed. Just when you think they can’t get any worse they keep surprising me!

  36. I’ve been an accomplished tv race viewer for 20 years and its never been a rule or norm of any kind that I’ve seen that the driver on the outside of a corner is owed an inch of space in a pass. I think people recently have been confusing the Hamilton-Schumacher rule from Monza 2013 where you have to leave a cars width after your one defensive move. But that is not a rule for a pass in a corner. A good rule proving exception is when Rosberg gratuitously left his line to run Hamilton off at Spielberg where he never even tried to take the apex.

    1. I’m sorry… I do agree with your take but eh… how does watching TV makes one accomplished at anything? (jk, ;)

  37. Probably no one will see this as I’m so late to the party, but …
    What confuses me though is the fia wording:

    “In the totality of the circumstances, we did not consider that either driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident. We consider that this is a racing incident.”

    Because like, the incident was predominantly Verstappen’s fault really, Leclerc was just trying to stay on the track (he could’ve backed off but still). But the incident itself was just racing and not worth investigating.
    Like the reasoning behind the decision shouldn’t be that neither driver was to blame, it should be that the incident wasn’t bad enough to warrant any penalties.

    1. @hugh11 I wonder if they mainly mean the contact itself wasn’t either driver’s fault, as in no one intentionally steered into the other.

  38. Slavisa (@sylversurferr)
    30th June 2019, 20:59

    300k votes on official f1 site, 85% of them think that Verstappen deserved penalty.
    I guess this is FIA revenge on Ferrari, novadays everytime they rule against them. I guess it’s because they dont want to give up on veto right.
    If you look on GP 2016 Germany, there was a 100% similar Rosberg move on Verstappen, and he got penalized 5 sec + 2 points on licence.

  39. The only difference between this move and the lap 14 move between Norris and Kimi is that they touched. Kimi backed out – Leclerc, for the win, obviously didn’t. That doesn’t make the move illegal.

    1. Slavisa (@sylversurferr)
      30th June 2019, 21:06

      Alonso wouldn’t agree with you… “all the time you need to leave speace”.

      1. Someone has a video from all angles and whilst VER doesn’t steer left, he also isn’t locked to the right as a bunch of his fans claim. He clearly brings the wheel from locked right to 12 o’clock right to bump LEC. I think if he needed to bring the wheel to 10 o’clock right or dead straight to bump LEC, he would have and he probably would have been penalized. Also VER manages to keep all 4 tires to the right of the yellow line which also worked to his favor with the ruling.

        1. He can do that while driving the inside line and being just enough in front. The sport is not meant to make your opponents life easier.

  40. VER owed all of us an exciting finish since he choked the start and robbed us of seeing some great action in turn 1. HAM couldn’t get off the line since he had to take drastic action to get around VER who forgot to step on the gas.

    1. Try googling “anti-stall system”.

      1. Google says it is installed in all 20 cars but only 1 driver doesn’t know how to operate it.

      2. VER dropped his revs too low and if it wasn’t for the anti-stall, his engine would have shut down as he dropped the clutch.

        Now, this might be 100% his own fault, but it could also be a slipping clutch-bite-point as the clutch was melting for example or it could be a faulty bite-point setting to begin with. We don’t know. But whatever the case, thankfully the anti-stall prevented a Lap 1 retirement and provided VER an opportunity to drive an epic comeback race.

  41. Stewards are not consistent. The rules are the same but they penalised Ricciardo in France forcing off the track Norris. It was the same incident between Verstappen and Leclerc.
    F1 should write the rules to allow drivers fights harder in the future but now the rules are the same so penalties should be the same in the same incidents.
    It was a bad decision from stewards.
    + Fixed steward members are needed.

    1. @patent No two incidents are identical, and don’t forget they take many aspects into account such as the drivers’ testimony, telemetry etc. It’s not abc 123 with each incident nor with their analysis of events leading up to and including the actual incident(s).

      1. @robbie Leclerc had no room to stay in the track while they were side by side and wheel to wheel. Leclerc had no chance to fight back or race against Verstappen because of the illegal incident from Verstappen.
        Verstappen was much faster than Leclerc at the end of the race so Verstappen should have overtaked Leclerc easier and fairer.
        Penalty fo Verstappen would be the right decision.

        1. @patent Max’s legal move ensured that CL had to either back off or go wide and he chose to go wide. He had already left the door open for Max anyway. You want easier and fairer passes perhaps the pinnacle of racing isn’t for you. Easy for you to say when CL had already defended Max very well the lap before. Max had to take the opportunity when he had it and while the laps wound down. Penalty to Max would have been a real blow to F1.

          1. @robbie Drivers have to race in the track not out of the track.

          2. @patent So then CL needed to back off rather than choose to go wide.

  42. Ferrari twitter is going to be insufferable for another 3 weeks now, poor sods.

    Correct decision, F1 is well and good!

    1. Ferrari fans should criticise Ferrari instead of being mad at FIA/VER: Being on the wrong tyres to start the race, meant being on shot tyres at the end of the race for Charles. That’s what put them in the position to lose this race in the first place.

  43. NeverElectric
    30th June 2019, 21:48

    All I know is, had one of the two drivers involved been Lewis Hamilton, the Stewards would almost certainly have ruled differently….

    1. Hamilton has several homes, but he’s living rent-free in your head.

      1. NeverElectric
        1st July 2019, 0:00

        And I in yours. Rent-free, too…

        1. Never even noticed you before. Won’t again, ever.

  44. When we are done talking about how leclerc left the inside open then ran into verstappen as the latter took his line on the exit, we will appreciate that this is Honda’s first win since 2006. It’s also the first time since a long time that a non- Renault, Ferrari, or MB engine has won—-since I believe 2008. Remarkable in today’s ossified F1, even though we are waiting since 2013 for a fourth team to win a race. Mclaren will not be sending champagne.

    1. @dmw Yes, fair comment.

  45. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    30th June 2019, 22:48

    It’s an obvious penalty. Really shocked by some of the comments here.

    Max screwed that one up. He knows the rules… This is Leclerc’s 1st victory and it was stolen.

    We can all appreciate the importance of Max winning at the Red Bull Ring – he would have won had he done it without clearly breaking the rules.

    It should be reversed.

    1. @freelittlebirds You are clearly wrong.

    2. @freelittlebirds

      How can it be ‘stolen’ if by your own admission ‘he would have won’ anyway?
      The post above yours explains what happened correctly.
      Perhaps if Leclerc hadn’t left the door open, or he aimed wide for a cutback. Or just conceded. But then they’re on the edge and ‘racing’.

  46. Consistency, inconsistency from stewards or whatever…….it was the best race in a long long time for F1.
    Hopefully from here the momentum of exciting racing and more fights for this season persist.

    Patiently I’ve been loyal to F1 and today’s race brought a broad grin…..way to go and I’m so delighted.

    Looking forward to Silverstone. HONDA!

    1. Yes. Nice comment.

    2. Yup, today F1 got us all giddy again!

  47. What a magnificent drive! While still having the lack of engine power vs the Ferraris and Mercs, during outbraking Max also had to make sure not to pass the DRS detection line in front to keep DRS and not being overtaken immediatly afterwards on the following straight. What a drive, Max is totally next level.

    1. Agree completely, Peter.

    2. This is getting old now. How much is Honda missing, 20HP?! For +900HP engines is not that important. VER was actually closing in on the straights too. The grip difference and the slipstream were a lot more important than the HP difference. Then, dunno, but this Ferrari top speed advantage doesn’t really show on-track, not on the races at least. My impression is that Mercedes and sometimes even RBR perform better on the straights against opposition, I mean they manage the overtake before the braking point, for example. In Australia too, VER was catching VET on the straights. Could be that Mercedes and RBR carry more speed through the corners, have better corner exit, therefore they reach max speed sooner. We remember RBR hitting the rev limiter way before the braking zone in certain races all these years.

      1. Especially corner exit traction was the problem yesterday for Max while fighting the Ferrari’s, most probably due to low wing settings, due to… you do the math.

        20 HP (is it only 20?) to have or not to have. But what ever the lack of power is, it is apparent that Max doesn’t have the best package at all. So he really needs to squeeze everything out of it. Just look at how he made sure not to go first over the DRS detection line while outbraking both Ferrari’s to prevent those to get the DRS that he himself needed so hard exiting turn 2.

  48. Once again Max forces another driver off the track and is not penalized. So now he will keep doing it again and again, sorry guys but that was not a racing incident but poor sportsmanship. Charles admits that he would not have been able to hold Max off until the chequred flag, so why is he allowed to get away with these actions. If Max is as great as everybody believes he is then why does he keep breaking the rules to try and prove it, the true greats never had too……..

  49. Fair’s fair. At first I thought it was running foul of the regulations by not leaving a cars width on the outside, but indeed that only seems relevant when it is the defending car that’s doing the squeezing. Apparantly when an attacker does the squeezing then there is no regulation against it.

    I think it’s dirty racing personally, especially with contact. It’s not the smart way to go about things as it could have ended in a puncture for either driver, or broken wings if Max was just a bit further ahead. That being said Max deserved that win and I’m glad that he got it. Also impressed by Leclerc to stand his ground and take the hit. Some other drivers would have backed out or ran themselves off the track to avoid it.

    All in all great racing!

    1. @skipgamer

      It’s infuriating when a driver you don’t like does this. But less face it, this is how Senna and Schumacher earnt their living when they got the chance.

      1. @bigjoe… And more recently Herr Hamilton, especially against his own teammate in seasons past. Used to rage watching him do this to Rosberg. Usa. Japan. Canada to name just a few..

    2. Agree, the move is kinda tainted, especially when a collision is involved. HAM did pretty much the same thing to RAI (who had a super start and almost passed both Mercedes) last year in the 1st corner, only that RAI decided to go off-track in order to avoid the contact.

    3. @skipgamer Well said.

      I was under the impression as well that the “one car’s-width” rule only applied to defending, when making a second move back to the racing line—but now I actually can’t find it at all in either the sporting regs or the international sporting code. Has that been thrown out entirely?

  50. What’s all the fuss about? Verstrappon showed his cards the lap before. Charles (who didn’t seem interested in taking an RB in the tail, or, making max work for it) lost the corner failing to defend the inside entry knowing full well that was where the RB nose was going to be. Error compounded as he failed to yield as the road ran out.

    Live & learn, even in a red car.

  51. I am happy that Leclerc wasn’t declared the winner by the stewards as he wasn’t able to celebrate on the podium. I hope his first win happens soon as he is a very good driver in a very good car.

  52. You couldn’t possibly expect the stewards to overturn this win for Max. Completely different to what happened to Vettel and nowhere near as bad. Cant believe they even looked at it

  53. One question. If this move was alright, why did Magnussen had 5 sec in Hungary 2017???????

  54. In the end I believe the decision was the correct one, and boy did F1 need a race where you did not know the winner until the very end. For the first time in a long time, I felt the excitement of watching a grands prix again, instead of being bored stupid.
    As Martin Brundle said, if the race for the lead was as close as the battle in the midfield, we would all be on the edge of our seats. I really enjoyed this circuit, it’s old school. Gravel, elevation change, history. Big crowds, passionate crowds.
    Everything that only a week ago Paul Ricard was not, this was and is the reason I fell in love with this sport thirty five years ago.
    This circuit is compact, but fast. The field is always closely bunched together, which added with three DRS zones, leads to closer racing. We finally got to see passing, and some great passing at times, right throughout the field.
    My only gripe was that the decision to not punish Verstappen took way too long, which in a business based on speed, is a bit ironic and even more frustrating.
    Leclerc was clearly upset, and that is a good thing. If he had put his arm around Verstappen at the end, laughing and joking, one would have been questioning his commitment. None of it! Charles wants only one thing and thats victory, every bit as Max Verstappen does.
    Will this alter the championship? Hamilton still has his lead, but this race gave both Lewis and Mercedes food for thought. If more of the same is served up in Silverstone, I will not complain one bit!

    1. So well said.

  55. :D Imagine what would happen with 60k orange fans if Winner was declared otherwise.

    It was a clear case of against the rules but within the spirit of racing. Maybe it would be best if many such rules should just be abolished.

  56. Good decision imho. If you don’t defend at all you know the overtake comes. If you stick around the outside in a corner that’s not yours anymore, you are too blame as well.

    In one of the earlier races Max was pushed aside in a similar way in the 1st lap. I think it was by Vettel but all Max said was “it’s racing, I would’ve done the same”.

  57. I am little confused here. I thought it was a well established rule that when cars are side by side entering a corner then both must give the other space, at least a car’s width?

    Verstappen braked late and held his steering to the right and clearly didn’t push the Ferrari off the track by steering at him but on the other hand he knew very well that braking so late he would only get anywhere near to the apex by understeering towards his opponent.

    If we want good racing then pushing opponents off the track for whatever reason will not achieve it. This incident increased the excitement and the interest but does that make it behaviour which is acceptable under all circumstances?

    1. You are thinking of the rule requiring a cars width after a defensive move n a straight. You cannot sweep the whole track in defense. It is well established by rule and practice that the car with the apex and the line owns the corner.

  58. They banged wheels and you can see Verstappen’s front wheel is ahead of Leclerc’s, it’s his corner

    Rubbing wheels a little makes good racing, neither driver was wrong to push the limits this closely, it’s what we want. Leclerc and Ferrari are just sour because they got out raced this time

    I don’t see how this ruling is inconsistent with other similar incidents of drivers knocking wheels and it doesn’t bare relation to the incidents where the stewards have given a penalty

  59. Three hours to make the decision suggests that higher powers had to be consulted. F1 is a political machine as much as it ever was.

    And the future of Pierre Gasly at Red Bull is now surely in grave doubt. He was lapped by his team mate.

  60. @keithcollantine I wonder if you’ve seen that onboard screenshot of Max’s grid position vs K-Mag’s grid position? It was posted by one of the instagram outlets this morning.
    Wonder what your opinion is on the matter. Did look out of position to me from that angle

Comments are closed.