F1 Race control must sharpen up their act – In just the last decade, the FIA have improved markedly their abilities to control a Formula One Grand Prix. Track limits which were once deemed “impossible to police” according to the late Charlie Whiting are now nailed from weekend to weekend. The Austrian GP famed for its 1200 reports of track limits violations in 2023, passed last weekend with little controversy into regard.

The Tilkerdrome modern circuit design where grand car park run off areas are placed at each corner to soften any off track excursion are falling out of favour and in the Styrian Hills last weekend a blend of old school gravel together with more modest  asphalt run off appeared to be the perfect solution for what has been a problem at the Red Bull Ring for decades.

Yet as the Indycar series gains popularity in Europe, fans remain irritated by the relative delays from F1 race control when intervention is required and when compared to the instant calls made by those in charge of the north American racing series. Take for example the lap one turn three debacle which saw Kimi Antonelli brake way too late. The Mercedes driver lost control entering the corner, locked his brakes and turned his W15 into a torpedo which honed into the side of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

 

 

 

F1 race control dither

Within an instant it was clear the safety car would be required, yet the decision by F1 race control was delayed until the leaders were approaching the final two corners, almost half a minute later. Kimi Antonelli was of course punished for his reckless ambition, he received a three place grid drop for the British Grand Prix and two penalty points on his F1 super license.

Yet questions are now being asked as to why the stewards failed to similarly punish Lando Norris with a grid drop for his big accident in Canada. The decision of the stewards is in no way to be affected by the outcome of the incident on which they adjudicate. Of course in Canada no harm was done, except to Norris title hopes and his own McLaren car, yet in Austria the impact of Antonelli’s over ambition was to effectively end the hopes of the current world champion for a record fifth consecutive title.

The delay in sending out the safety car cost a number of drivers, in particular Isack Hadjar, who in the scramble to avoid the Verstappen/Antonelli incident lost several places in the subsequent melee. Even as the leading cars who escaped the turn three chaos hurtled towards turn four they were jostling for places in the crowded space which could have easily led to another incident before the sleepy officials in race control decided to act.

Whilst its understandable the consequences of a safety car being introduced in an F1 Grand Prix immediately mean there will often inevitably be a lengthy delay – with lapped cars having to uncap themselves – race control has other tools at its disposal including the virtual safety car which is far less disruptive to the racing than the full safety car.

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Does the punishment fit the crime?

As to the justice served by race control’s intervention, the mantra that the resulting decision should not be based on the severity of there outcome is not one which always serves the situation well. At the 2021 British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was adjudicated to taken out Max Verstappen on the opening lap. The resulting 51G impact at Copse corner and the loss of all points for Verstappen resulted in zero justice for the incident and the five second penalty handed down to the Mercedes driver had no impact.

Hamilton went on to win the race with ease, claimed the 25 points whilst his arch rival for the title ended the weekend with nothing but a mandatory trip to the nearest Uk hospital with a trauma centre. “That’s racing” was the award conclusion to the matter, although for Verstappen fans they felt their hero had been deliberately wronged.

While Verstappen’s title ambitions have been dubious since his punishment in Spain last month saw the world champion demoted from his ten points paying position at the chequered flag to tenth and a single point, Antonelli robbed the fans last Sunday of an intriguing battle with the Red Bull driver inevitably coming through the field.

Prospects of a duel between Verstappen and Russell whose relationship may best described as ‘spikey’ were dashed as was the opportunity for an on track battle between the gladiators who fought for the 2021 drivers’ championship. All in all while there were twenty or so laps of tight racing at the front between the McLaren’s, come the first round of pit stops the order of the field was in general set.

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Delays in qualifying flags were costly

The one bonus for the world champion was, so short was his race, he was never in danger of being punished with points on his F1 license and given 12 months had expired since his tangle with land Norris at the same corner, two further points awarded in 2024 at the Red Bull Ring also fell from his tally of 11. This means Verstappen will no longer have to answer questions over an impending one race ban – to which he has been clearly irritated – although with a maximum of a four point penalty on offer to the stewards, Verstappen isn’t out of the woods until his next points fall away after the Mexican Grand Prix in October.

As qualifying demonstrated, F1’s race control need to sharpen up its practices. A spin on the final qualifying runs meant briefly there were yellow flags and lights deployed, yet a single Marshall at the penultimate turn was responsible for causing Verstappen’s final run to be aborted because he was two seconds too late in withdrawing his cautionary signal after the lights around the circuit had returned to green.

The result was Verstappen qualified in a lowly P7, whereas his final aborted lap would have seen him start the race in the top three. This in turn would have meant Max would have been long gone by the time the silver arrows torpedo arrived into the side of the RB21 on the first lap of the race.

A stitch in time saves nine – as the old saying goes – and F1 race control need to sharpen up their decision making together with their on track operations. TJ13’s score for their performance in Austria is a B-. 

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Verstappen deal with Mercedes ‘done’

Has Verstappen Quietly Sealed a Mercedes Move? If the latest reports are to be believed, Formula 1 could be on the verge of one of its most exciting transfers in recent memory. There has been no dramatic X.com statement or angry radio messages; just a calm conversation between world champion Max Verstappen and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, and the quiet suggestion that the Dutchman may have agreed to join the Silver Arrows in 2026.

Yes, really… According to Sky Italia and sources close to this website, the reigning four-time world champion has already reached an agreement in principle to make the sensational switch, with only formal approval from the Mercedes board remaining. If it goes ahead, it will be the second major driver bombshell in as many years, following Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, and it could change the landscape of the sport yet again.

But before we start designing Verstappen’s Mercedes-grey wardrobe, there’s a slight hitch. It’s coming from the boardroom…. READ MORE