Verstappen says that an "over-regulated" F1 is "not the right way forward"
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Max Verstappen believes that Formula 1 is currently "over-regulated" and that it is not "the right way forward" for the sport. The FIA and regulations have been a huge talking point over the last couple of Grand Prix weekends, and although the Dutchman admits that finding a balance in the regulations is not straightforward, some changes could be made to make things clearer, which other drivers agree with.
Of course, Verstappen was at the forefront of both arguments surrounding the racing guidelines at both the United States and Mexican Grands Prix, with the Dutchman and title rival Lando Norris doing battle on the track. In Austin, the Brit received a penalty for overtaking off the track and gaining an advantage, while a week later, Verstappen was then given two ten-second time penalties for forcing Norris off the track while defending.
Verstappen agrees that the rules are not that clear at the moment, with different penalties being given out to different drivers at each Grand Prix weekend: "I think it's not that straightforward. Sometimes it works for you. Sometimes they work for you. Sometimes they work against you. I think it's never going to be perfect, because even if you remove rules, then you get into a battle, and then you want more rules because it's not clear what is allowed or not. Then, when you have too many rules, you want fewer rules."
Still, the three-time world champion's view is that the sporting regulations are currently too extensive, which does not help racing in the premier class of motorsport: "It just keeps going left and right all the time. Do I think it's over-regulated? Probably, yes. In general, the rule book is only getting bigger and bigger every single year. I don't think that's the right way forward," he said in Thursday's press conference in Sao Paulo.
Piastri agrees that the rules need to be "more consistent"
Verstappen's points are also backed up by McLaren's Oscar Piastri, with the Australian also hoping to see some changes: "The FIA has acknowledged that and wants to work with us on that, which is very positive. But I think in general, we've got more consistency. Maybe some things can still be a bit more consistent. But I think, at least for the stewards, they now have a set of they actually have a set of guidelines as to what kind of rules should be applied. I think we all agree that the rules are maybe not perfect and should be changed a bit. But at least we have something to look back to, which we didn't have before that."
The Australian driver continued on by saying: "Things can always be improved. These guidelines haven't been around for that long in the grand scheme of things. And again, you can't write rules, especially in racing, that are going to cover every single possibility and situation. So you always do need a kind of subjective steward to add their thoughts. But yes, I think we're in a much better place than we have been and the FIA has been very, very supportive of trying to change that with us."
This article was created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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