2021 - Race 21 Saudi Arabia

[Nitrodaze]

In a red flag situation well yes, I guess it is and so they have to do the same if it happens again.

As I said.. Its really not so different from during a normal race. The team have the option to give the place back if told to by the Stewards... and if they choose not to they get a 5 sec penalty.
In this case the race was stopped so there really has to be a negotiation. If they didn't give him it, Max would be disadvantaged compared to anyone else it has happened to in a normal race with no red flag. Its a pretty clear and sensible thing to do.. and with continuity IMO.

The problem with that approach is, it discourages teams from taking the initiative to give the place back but carry on until told otherwise. The stewards should not have to do that, the teams should recognize when their driver has broken a rule and take pre-emptive action of asking their driver to give the place back. They are encouraged to do that because when the stewards look at the incident, their only option should be to apply the penalty due.

What we have now is teams would push their luck with the hope to negotiate their way out of the penalty that the regulation imposes. It is a slippery slope from now on, for such.