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 a number of the drivers reacted to the FIA’s transfer to try to be extra clear after a flurry of controversial penalties and racing incidents over the past yr.
F1’s governing physique careworn the rules will not be regulatory, however fairly 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 after all, the FIA, the stewards have a troublesome job. Each racing manoeuvre seems to be totally different. I believe having some type of boundaries is sweet. I’ve probably not had any issues by way of… they’ve not affected me to date.
“I do not know what different folks consider them. It’s attention-grabbing simply every year. Completely different folks are available and totally different folks give you various things.
“Yr on yr on yr. A few of them are good, a few of them will not be so good. I do not wish to choose it simply but.”
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly shares an identical view: “To me personally, I don’t really feel that manner. I believe you go laborious racing and you recognize the place the restrict is. There may be 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 a number of the penalties are too sturdy, not sturdy sufficient, and many others. 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 danger getting a penalty level!” Purple Bull’s four-time world champion quipped.
Pointers shouldn’t be taken as ‘black and white’
Verstappen and Piastri have had a number of battles this yr
McLaren’s world championship chief Oscar Piastri careworn the significance that the rules will not be handled as gospel.
“Clearly, there are nonetheless levels of things that may’t actually be written down,” Piastri stated.
“Each scenario is totally different, however I believe it no less than provides us as drivers some readability on what’s and isn’t allowed. There have most likely been some tweaks since they got here out- I can’t bear in mind after they got here out precisely, however possibly within the final 18 months or so.
“It’s simply essential that folks 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 case you wrote 10 pages of strains and a driver’s going to discover a gray space simply from the scenario you find yourself in.
“So I believe it’s essential 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’ fingers.”
Esteban Ocon confronted an investigation for allegedly driving erratically on the pit exit towards Carlos Sainz’s Williams through the Canadian Grand Prix, however the stewards in the end 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 a variety of guidelines, that’s for certain. I believe the racing facet is kind of easy 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 simple and a little bit of a shock for all of us. That caught Carlos without warning as effectively. So yeah, it’s all these little issues on prime of an already sophisticated scenario that may result in troublesome situations and going to the Stewards and having lengthy choices and all of this.
“In the long run, I believe the FIA took all the correct choices. They knew it was facet issues and small issues not resulting in any penalties. It was fairly easy earlier than I went to the FIA’s room, however it’s at all times a nerve-racking second – particularly while you get a outcome which implies one thing. The following three hours after the race had been fairly lengthy for me and the staff.”
Time for everlasting stewards?
George Russell
Mercedes driver George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation (GPDA), as soon as once more prompt 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 acknowledged a couple of occasions up to now, the stewards are nonetheless volunteers,” Russell stated.
“We now have 20 totally different stewards over the course of a season, all of which have gotten an enormous quantity of racing information, however all have very barely totally different interpretations of an incident, the identical manner as drivers have very barely totally different interpretations of incidents.
“So I nonetheless imagine the most effective course could be to have fully-paid skilled stewards, a constant panel, and probably even barely decreasing these driver tips as a result of in the end these tips are there to help the stewards within the determination making.
“And when you’ve got one steward who’s solely doing one in each 4 races, they want that type of steering. Whereas in case you’ve bought a constant three or 4 people, we are going to know their viewpoint, they are going to know our viewpoint, and you’ll choose 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 latest 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.web. “Barcelona Flip 1 was a great instance of that.
“If the opposite automotive squeezes you off and releases the brake pedal and provides you no area 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 observe and take a cut-off.
“I had the identical difficulty in Canada. If I flip in on that automotive 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 attainable 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 automotive and avoiding the crash, however then truly bought penalised for doing so.”
