F1 News
Masi replies to Szafnauer: "The circumstances were completely different"
Otmar Szafnauer was not satisfied with the competition management in Portugal. According to Racing Point's team boss, his drivers were punished too harshly over similar incidents over the same weekend. Race director Michael Masi explains.
Difference in punishments
Szafnauer said earlier that he found the accident of his pupil Lance Stroll and Lando Norris during the race very similar to that of Max Verstappen and Stroll during the second free practice. Yet no penalties were handed out on Fridays but were on Sunday. According to Masi, the explanation is quite simple: “One was in practice, the other in the race. the circumstances were completely different," he told Auto, Motor und Sport.
No punishment for Verstappen
On the first lap of the race, Sergio Perez and Verstappen also had a collision, which knocked Perez off the track and therefore had to continue from the last place. No punishments were issued for this incident, much to Szafnauer's disbelief.
“We are less strict in the first lap. If it had happened later, we would at least have started an investigation," explains Masi. Szafnauer also could not understand this answer and advocates more constant decisions.