Former Method 1 driver Johnny Herbert, one of many stewards throughout final weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, says there was no harsher penalty they may have given over the collision between the race leaders.
They issued Max Verstappen a 10-second time penalty and two endorsement factors on his licence for inflicting a collision with Lando Norris whereas they had been preventing over the lead.
Herbert was current because the drivers’ advisor as a part of the four-person stewarding crew, alongside Felix Holter, Matthew Selley and Wilhelm Singer. He stated there was little doubt amongst them who was guilty for the incident on lap 64.
“After we had been watching it, it instantly got here all the way down to whose fault was it,” he stated in feedback reported by the Day by day Categorical. “And it was Max’s.”
Verstappen’s 10-second time penalty made no completely different to his eventual ending place of fifth. Though the stewards can subject stiffer penalties together with drive-through and stop-go penalties, there are additional pointers which point out what ought to be utilized for various kinds of offences.
The stewards acknowledged Verstappen’s penalty was utilized “in keeping with precedents” and Herbert stated there was no stricter penalty accessible.
“That’s the hardest one that may be utilized beneath FIA pointers that we function beneath as stewards,” stated Herbert, a three-times grand prix winner. “McLaren have stated it ought to have been harsher, however that’s the sport all groups play.
“If somebody had flipped over or been barrel-rolling down the observe I don’t know if that might have modified issues. Forcing a driver off the circuit or inflicting an incident is what it got here beneath. That was the utmost sanction we may have taken.”
Just one driver has been given a extra extreme penalty than Verstappen’s for an on-track incident this yr. Fernando Alonso was given a drive-through penalty, utilized after the race, for “probably harmful” driving when he slowed abruptly in entrance of George Russell on the Australian Grand Prix. Herbert was one of many stewards who handed down this choice on what was thought of an uncommon case.
Nonetheless the stewards have issued greater than two penalty factors to drivers who’ve precipitated collisions this yr. Alonso was given three penalty factors for a collision with Carlos Sainz Jnr throughout the dash race in China, the place Herbert was not on the stewarding panel.
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