Most Formula 1 drivers wanted swift changes to the rules of racing following a series of widely-debated stewarding calls in the United States Grand Prix, says George Russell
The incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the race was a particular cause for concern. Several drivers questioned whether Norris alone should have been penalised for passing Verstappen outside the track limits after the Red Bull driver also failed to navigate the corner and forced Norris wide.
Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said that prompted discussions between them and the race director ahead of last weekend’s race in Mexico. At the subsequent race the championship contenders clashed again and Verstappen received two penalties for incidents with Norris, though the specifics of both cases were different to those a week earlier.
The drivers impressed upon the FIA the need for swift changes, said Russell. “We had the discussion last week in Mexico and the majority were aligned [on] what needs to change,” he told the official F1 channel.
“Understandably, I think, the FIA wanted a bit of consistency. But again, the majority felt that if something is incorrect, we should make a change and we should implement it straight away.
“If you look in Mexico, penalties were awarded, I think they were the correct penalties. Maybe they should have been awarded in Austin as well. But I think everyone is pretty aligned on where the limit is.”
While Verstappen said last week he would not handle either situation any differently, Russell doesn’t believe he has any grounds to complain about the penalties he received in Mexico.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
“He is a three time world champion, he knows what he’s doing, there’s no doubt about it. And he’s a hard racer, he’s always been aggressive, and that’s I think that’s great.
“If you go beyond the limit, you get penalised. If you’re on the limit, you pull off something great. And last week he went beyond, he got penalised. Times before, he’s been on the limit and hasn’t.
“So he knows what he’s doing and I think the penalties last week were correct and he can’t argue with that.”
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2024 Mexican Grand Prix
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…