Formula 1 at its finest, and still Controversial
- Richard Baxter
- Jul 2, 2019
- 2 min read
With people talking of Formula 1 being in a crisis, The Austrian Grand Prix was perfectly timed to showcase the sport at its finest. An incredible circuit produced some truly incredible racing. But not without its fair share of controversy.
Max Verstappen produced a truly outstanding charge through the field to take victory after what was a horrendous start. He completed an aggressive but successful move on Charles Leclerc late in the race to complete a great comeback drive. This move though was later – much later! – investigated by the stewards. Something that seems to have been a theme over the last few races.
On this occasion I feel the investigation was just, as it was very aggressive and contact was made between the two drivers.
Once the stewards completed their investigation it was confirmed that no penalty was required and Verstappen had won the race.
After the events in Canada and France with penalty’s being applied to drivers for forcing another car off track, and re-entering the track in a dangerous manner I was personally expecting to see Verstappen penalised. When you look at the on-board footage he didn’t need to make contact with Leclerc, but he did. He didn’t allow any space for him. It reminded me a lot of the Hamilton & Rosberg incident we saw back in 2016.
With how Formula 1 justified the penalties in Canada and France it set a precedent moving forward. Keeping consistent any hard racing manoeuvre would be punished, therefore I was expecting to see Verstappen penalised, however I’m glad he wasn’t, and I just wish Formula 1 had taken more of a ‘racing incident’ approach to the events in Canada and France.
Formula 1 needs to clearly set out exactly what they expect from drivers in regards to racing to ensure there is no future controversy when penalties are applied.
Ultimately it was a tough decision to make for the stewards, and whilst it was frustrating it took them hours to conclude at least they took the time to properly investigate and hear both sides
It was great to see Honda achieve their first victory since they returned to the sport, although it would’ve been great to see Leclerc gain his first win. I’m sure he will have plenty yet though.
The quality of racing through the whole field was simply outstanding throughout the race. The race really did have everything. 3 teams were competitive, and it was a nice change to see Mercedes not running away with it. There was strategy involved, and some drivers even did more than 1 pitstop!
A lot of this is credit to the race circuit though.
There is something about the old race tracks that seems to always produce excellent racing. With the likes of Hockenheim, Spa Francorchamps, Monza and Silverstone next up this is always my favourite part of the season. The racing at these circuits never seems to disappoint, and I’m hoping this year it will really deliver.
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