Max Verstappen’s rivals were unimpressed to learn a steward from the Singapore Grand Prix admitted they made a mistake by failing to penalise him for an incident during qualifying.
The world championship leader was investigated for three separate incidents after qualifying last week. He avoided a grid penalty on all three counts and was given two reprimands.Grid penalties have been issued for impeding on several occasions this year. Some teams are understood to have raised queries over why Verstappen avoided the same for one of his three incidents, when he held up AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
It later emerged one steward had admitted the decision not to give Verstappen a grid penalty had been a mistake. Several of his rivals said there was no reason why the stewards shouldn’t have got the call right first time.
“It was definitely a bit strange to see Max got away with those reprimands last week,” said George Russell. “We obviously always look for consistency.
“We appreciate it’s not easy in the best of times, but last week was obviously a bit of a slam-dunk, so it was strange why it didn’t happen.”
Russell’s team mate Lewis Hamilton was dissatisfied by the steward’s change of mind, pointing out: ““That rule has been the same for ages.”
“We need to start looking into AI for this sort of thing, so we get good decisions,” he added. “I would like to see whether AI could do a better job or not.”
Carlos Sainz Jnr, who won last weekend’s race and has been penalised for impeding this year, said the stewards should take lessons from their error.
“It’s just a shame that the guy that is dominating and winning in pretty much every race, he’s the only one that gets away with it while all the others, we’ve had a penalty this year.
“And when I say everyone it’s everyone has had, pretty much, a penalty. So it’s a bit strange. Hopefully they learn from it.”
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osnola
23rd September 2023, 11:48
Max expected a penalty and deserved one for the Yuki incident.
So strange indeed and even with Gary Connelly as one of the stewards.
But a bit old to revive this “news” is it not?
Jimmy Cliff
23rd September 2023, 11:57
It is only still news because it was Max that didn’t get a penalty. Sergeant also didn’t get a penalty and is not even mentioned and if it was just him no questions would be asked nor article written.
George should not talk about consistency given he escaped penalty in Baku crashing into Max.
What about Lewis not being penalized for
multiple illegal overtakes – why was he allowed to take multiple laps to give the place back.
He never had to give the place back nor was he penalized for his illegal overtake on Perez. Clearly a case of leaving the track and gaining an advantage – he would not have been able to overtake/stay ahead if there would have been a wall. Guess I shouldn’t mentioned Abu Dhabi were 2 years in a row Lewis went off track to gain an advantage and got away with it.
Max had to give the place back in Bahrain 2021 while he was clearly ahead – no difference.
SteveP
23rd September 2023, 12:54
No, it’s news because the admission that the decision to not give Max multiple penalties was taken by the same stewards that are at Suzuka this weekend and those stewards have said, this weekend, that they got it wrong.
It’s not like the info was given out last weekend and the journalists collectively decided to hold publication for better effect.
Nunaya Dambizness
23rd September 2023, 13:26
Exactly! I saw every one of those incidents you mentioned, and you are absolutely correct.
Nunaya Dambizness
23rd September 2023, 13:31
Meanwhile, those same stewards admit that LeClerc, Bottas, and Zhou ALL exceeded the maximum lap time in practice this weekend at Suzuka, and none of them were penalized. But yeah, Max is the bad guy…🙄
AlanD
23rd September 2023, 13:56
Be fair now, there is a significant difference between slightly exceeding a maximum lap time whilst keeping off the racing line, and deliberatley parking in the pit lane to stop other drivers beginning their quali lap.
melanos
23rd September 2023, 15:27
Not condoning it (still I reckon some penalty was warranted), but everyone of those drivers was able do their quali lap after the delay
MadMax (@madmax)
24th September 2023, 0:53
biased comment of a merc anti fan, getting facts wrong and mixing with his distored opinions
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
23rd September 2023, 12:10
Here’s a bit more news from around that time.
From Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei
No warning letter from FIA, condemnation from drivers and/or TP’s, baying from terraces.
Money talks.
(But yeah I agree Max should have got a penalty.)
Coventry Climax
23rd September 2023, 18:52
It should actually just still be news for reasons that it’s detrimental to the sports for stewards to discuss, come back etc. on decisions made, to the press first.
The stewards make their decisions collectively, so if they -in hindsight- collectively feel they made the wrong decision, that should be discussed and dealt with within the FiA first, and only. Should the FiA then agree with that and come to the conclusion that a mistake has indeed be made and that it should be put right, that’s the time to come out to the press with it and inform the public.
What’s happened now does not seem like it is said on behalf of all the stewards, or even the FiA, and might well be the action of a lone wolf seeking his right and revenge for other stewards not sharing his opinion. (By the way, pun not intended, but rather applicable in my mind.)
It’s the exact type of controversy that the FiA constantly claims to like to avoid, but seem incapable to manage to.
My take on that is that they’re hollow words and the actually do like all the controversy, as that sparks interest with the public, irrespective of it being positive or negative. And the best thing is they have a rule that says bringing the sports in disrespect is not allowed. That’s pretty holow too, in my opinion.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for consistent rules keeping. But where these things are concerned, they should apply to within the FiA as well.
MichaelN
23rd September 2023, 11:58
Who was that? It’s rare for a steward to talk about their decisions, and even more so to admit they were wrong. Or ‘mistaken’, if you will.
Facts&Stats
23rd September 2023, 12:34
F1 stewards accept they erred in not penalising Verstappen
AlanD
23rd September 2023, 13:59
Michael, it could be that Perini wanted to penalise Max and was outvoted by other stewards, so he is now saying the stewards collectively made a mistake. I am not saying that is what happened, I don’t know what happened either, just that it is one possible explanation for why he said that.
MichaelN
23rd September 2023, 14:05
Thanks all. Perini might just be the one to talk about it because he’s here in Japan now. I suppose we’ll never know what exactly happened.
Oh well, so long as they treat everyone the same it’s all good. As they say, the best time to start doing so was yesterday, the second best is today.
Yellow Baron
23rd September 2023, 12:01
Lmao is that a jibe at the stewards from Lewis?
Better than the Singapore stewards from last weekend at least, yeah almost.
Sihrtogg (@sihrtogg)
23rd September 2023, 12:29
The fight for a podium was already tough for Verstappen in Singapore, even if he would have had VSC pitstop. It would have been bad for entertainment to drop him back even further. From P11 we at least fealt the threat from the beast. If Max had put it on the front row, he would have had 1, maybe 2 penalties for sure. Another proper effect-based decision from the stewards.
Also every driver should know to stay out of the way of Verstappen, even on his outlap. He is the fastest, so you need to respect him, or feel his wrath in the paddock afterwards.
melanos
23rd September 2023, 12:31
I agree that Max should have got a penalty for impeding. Anyway I reckon it would have been ineffective (he finished about 18 secs ahead of Pierre Gasly and the penalty would hardly have been harsher than 15 secs. And yes, I cannot understand ineffective penalties).
Not that we are at it, a little whataboutism. The foul pass on Checo deserved a very serious and dissuasive penalty for reincidence. The offender was not even forced to give the position back. Talk about inconsistency.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd September 2023, 12:34
They made the same mistake with Sargeant yet no one still bothers to mention him or forgot that he also only got reprimanded for impeding Stroll in Q1.
SteveP
23rd September 2023, 13:00
I’m pretty certain I’ve seen text here on racefans that mentions both Verstappen and Sargeant.
Mercedes’ drivers would be likely to comment as they were blocked in the pit lane exit while Verstappen stopped for 14 seconds.
David BR (@david-br)
23rd September 2023, 14:06
OK. One to file under ‘yeah, no s++t’.
Edvaldo
23rd September 2023, 14:45
This make them look weak as hell. It was a slam dunk penalty, but they for some reason let it slide.
F1 is a car parade, not a sport.
They abuse the “now it’s too late to do something about it”.
SteveP
23rd September 2023, 17:49
Massa seems not to believe the “too late to do something about it” comments.
But then we’re talking about someone who had a solid thump on the head from a high speed car part there.
In the interests of justice, and cheap entertainment, they could apply the two deserved grid penalties this weekend.
Coventry Climax
23rd September 2023, 18:24
I fully agree on rules being implemented – and possible subsequent penalties handed out – consistently.
But having AI do the job, like Hamilton suggests?
I think it’s a bad idea and a very slippery slope to have computers decide over human behaviour and people’s fate, in whatever context.
SteveP
23rd September 2023, 18:34
On this, I can agree with you.
The thing is, AI has to learn the process from real world examples.
With that training, the system can flawlessly (cough) reproduce the sort of decisions humans make, but faster.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
24th September 2023, 2:07
I’m actually for AI issued penalties, stewards are getting too inconsistent for my likings.
MCG (@malrg)
26th September 2023, 4:23
It is very inconsistent, but in the end it happens from time to time. After all Hamilton should have been given a penalty for forcing Russell of the track in Japan, he even went off track himself in the process. So swings and roundabouts I guess.