Drivers want ‘anti-Verstappen’ rules after Austin controversy: “Something has to change”

A few days after the controversy action starring Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austinwhere the British driver was penalized for overtaking a car off the track. Verstappen which forced the English to leave the asphalt, A large part of the F1 grid is in favor of a rule change that took Max the Dutchman to the limit last Sunday.

The key to the criterion: the vertex of the curve

The rule in question says that the car with priority or “Straight on a curve” is the one ahead of the top of the curve. This is a very basic rule that does not cover all kinds of situations, as Austin made clear in the case of Max and Norris. Verstappen defended himself based on that regulation. On the inside, although Norris seemed to be in a better position to pass him on the outside, he braked later to follow the only requirement. of having his front axle in front at the top of that curve, but it made him late to enter the curve.

That aggressive maneuver caused him to over-brake and go wide, forcing Norris to go wide as well.. AND The stewards decided to penalize Lando for 5 seconds despite the fact that Max left him with no space and also ended up outside the curve. But these nuances are not considered in the current regulations.

Max had an advantage because he was able to prevent overtakingbut heThe stewards considered Norris to have gained an off-track advantage based solely on the fact that there was a change of positions. But it should not always be necessary for a change of positions to occur for a driver to be considered to have taken advantage, nor is it reflected in the regulations. Max took advantage of that rule, knew of its existence, and achieved the podium for it.

Fierce, strong

A week later, the pilots publicly requested changes in their media statements and assured that this issue will be discussed and solutions will be proposed to the FIA ​​in Mexico at the meeting held by the pilots with the highest which is the competition’s regulatory body every Friday of the Grand Prix. And the precedent set by Max with his maneuver could cause even more chaos in the following appointments.

One of the strongest and clearest drivers is Pierre Gasly, at the FIA ​​​​press conference before the Mexican F1 GP.

“After Austin, obviously I think there is something that needs to be changed. The rule, as it is written… you have to use more common sense because now there is a gray area that allows our drivers to take advantage of the regulations .. And I think it’s an unfair way to approach the race. This is something we have all agreed on and we will work with the FIA ​​on how to improve it.because there were several incidents in Austin where the administrators’ decisions conflicted. “We need clarity and better written rules to improve racing in the future.”declared the French from the Alpine.

“I was affected by the race, so yes. I think there is a rule that should be changed, which says ‘he with the front axle at the top of the curve has priority’. How much control do you have in the car there? Because otherwise, There are situations where you can dive anywhere, without worrying about turning, just to get your front axle over the top. And if you don’t turn, it’s still your turn, but it can cause other problems like pushing other cars on the track.and whoever has priority in that corner has no penalty,” added Gasly.

“So that rule, as it is written… I understand it and for the moment we must respect it, but from now on it must change to give us more justice when we fight This is part of the standard that should be updated,” he concluded.

“Max always goes above and beyond sometimes”

“Max always pushes the limits of the regulations. But that’s what makes competing against him so exciting”said Charles Leclerc for his part.

“I enjoy the battles we have. He’s never going to leave you any room. He’s not going to give you a single gap and he’s always going to go to the limit of the regulations and that’s what makes those battles exciting. That said, I saw some things in Austin that we might have to discuss with the FIA ​​because sometimes the penalties are too harsh, and we need to make sure that we drivers are aligned with the FIA ​​to know what we can do. . do and we cannot.”added the Monegasque.

“For example, Piastri’s overtaking on Saturday did not deserve a penalty. But it is a process that we always try to optimize together with the FIA ​​​​and we will certainly discuss it. But “Max always goes to the limit of the norm, and sometimes even further, but those fights make F1 exciting.”commented the Ferrari owner.

“The apex of the curve? It’s a very complex topic. To be completely honest, I don’t have the right answer. I think you have to apply common sense. When a pilot repeats the same maneuver in the same place, at some The point we have, we have to create opportunities to move forward and continue to create them,” he said.

“What we saw in Austin is quite extreme and we have to study it. The rule is there but it is not capable of covering all the situations that can happen on the track and there will not be a single rule that can define exactly if how Should we drive,” Leclerc added, noting that drivers “are becoming more and more involved in this kind of thing with the FIA. At the pilots’ meetings we always try to give suggestions and they are open to hearing them. And it’s a good thing.”

“The rule says that anyone who makes an outside maneuver has to go to the top first,” Zhou Guanyu continued. “But the inside can let off the brakes a little bit to get ahead and if that takes you off the track… I don’t know, This is a complicated situation. Above all, what we lack is consistency. Especially on a track like that with so many holes and people can approach it in different ways and with different lines.. “We will discuss this again with the FIA ​​to have more clarity.”

Russell called permanent commissioners

In its part, George Russell suggested that to avoid inconsistent application of sanctions and sporting rules there should be a permanent team of administrators. that won’t change at every Grand Prix. The Englishman believes that in this way the current inconsistency of the commissioners, an issue that Fernando Alonso complained about a lot at the beginning of this season, will be avoided.

“With 24 races there is no commissioner who would aim to do them all. And secondly, it’s difficult. Sometimes two commissioners have different opinions. Sometimes you think the decision is against you and sometimes in your favor “It’s hard to get the best decision In the end, the best thing is to stay away from problems,” said ‘Checo’ Pérez.

Another solution: gravel outside the Austrian-style curve

Another possible solution is to add a small area of ​​gravel next to the curves to prevent drivers from going off the track, as has already been done in Austria this year on its last curve.

“Will it help? Yes,” Hülkenberg commented on the matter. “If you put something that stops you from going through there, it changes the way you approach the curve like it does on urban circuits (where there are walls). I don’t know. In most sports there are gray areas and Austin is one of those tracks where that gray area shines. So maybe this is something that can be studied and will help in turn 12,” added the German.

According to Hülkenberg and Pérez, it depends on each track

“It depends on the track, and Turn 12 in Austin is one of the trouble spots. A Sometimes it falls on your side, other times, across. It’s part of the race. And we’ll see what we get out of it,” added the Haas man. “Yes, Austin is one of the worst tracks. There is turn 1, turn 4, turn 11, turn 12… they can fall on your side or not. And here in Mexico, for example, it won’t be a problem,” commented ‘Checo’ Pérez.