F1 Stewarding 2024 - Austrian GP Focus
At some point in the season, a race throws up a scenario that essentially becomes the litmus test of the quality of F1 Stewarding for the season. Or at least, the entire season up to the race in question. The Austrian GP was that very scenario as we watched Verstappen get some proper racing pressure for the first time in the waning Redbull dominance era. Without the speed to get him out of trouble, it fell to his racecraft to help him out of the situation.
Norris probed Verstappen fiercely after a rare Redbull botched pitstop which eroded Verstapenn's early lead. At this stage of the race, the Mcclaren was the faster car in Lando's hands. And we watched as the 2016 scenes from Hamilton and Verstappen began to unfold, as Verstappen moved very clearly under breaking on three occasions as he tried to keep Norris from passing him. The third occasion resulted in a collision which damaged both cars and ended Lando's race.
The interesting thing here was that the Steward's office was quiet on what was clearly developing into a potential crash. No warnings were issued, and both drivers were penalized. Norris for track limits incursion, Verstappen for forcing an opponent off the track.
The outcome of the steward's treatment of the situation reopens the questions from 2016; what are the limits of hard racing? Is it now ok for defending drivers to move under braking to cover off an overtaking move from the attacking car behind? Are the other drivers stupid for complying with the well-established etiquette of not moving under braking to prevent a potential crash that potentially could be Fatal? Do we need a fatality before this issue is addressed appropriately?
The stewarding at the Austrian GP suggests that there is still much work to be done to improve the quality of stewarding in F1. While the technology of F1 is bleeding edge stuff, the stewarding is still stuck in the mentalities of the lower formulas. As an F1 fan, l felt it was a very poor display of stewarding l have seen in a while. In the end, Verstappen has gained an unfair advantage by taking out Norris whose race was terminated with no points and a 5-second penalty to rub salt into his wounds. Yet Verstappen extends his championship lead by 5 points from an ineffective ten-second penalty. I suppose it pays to roll the dice and let the stewards sort it out ineffectively.
I wonder what your views are on the matter?
