George Russell reckons it is time the FIA has full-time employed, professional race stewards to improve consistency and help drivers interpret the guidelines.
It comes after explosive races at the US GP in Austin and especially the Mexican Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen was issued with two 10-second time penalties.
Verstappen was penalised for forcing title rival Lando Norris wide at Turn 4 and leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 7 in Mexico City.
The world champion contested both decisions while, ahead of this weekend’s Brazil Grand Prix, Norris said he felt that “deep down” Verstappen knew the manoeuvre was wrong.
It has reopened the interpretations of F1’s loosely-worded rulebook and Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, says that while he does not believe the rulebook needs ripping up, it does now require a stable body of race officials to improve the consistency of the penalties being dished out.
Russell said: “On a personal view, not a view of the collective, I don’t think it [the rulebook] needs ripping up at all. It just needs some fine adjustments or a small addition. It’s all pretty clear.
“The guidelines need to be in place but it also needs to be remembered they are guidelines. There’s not a written regulation and it’s down to the stewards to take the best judgement.
“When things come down to interpretation, and when things are about consistency, you can argue if you were to have the same stewards week in, week out, the consistency will be better because they’re interpreting things in the same manner and the drivers understand exactly what they expect in a given circumstance.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“So I do feel, again a personal view, not one of on behalf of the drivers, but personal view, I do think we’re at a point now in this sport that we do need a full-time professional steward in where they earn a real salary.
“They’re not effectively volunteers and I do think within the pool of stewards we’ve got now, they are definitely up to standard. So it’s not saying anything bad about the current stewards, it’s just saying I feel we should be having system stewarding week in, week out.”
The FIA wishes to speak to drivers about the racing rules to provide clearer guidelines in the future. However, Verstappen – who has made several references to falling out of love with F1 – says…
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