Palmer: Drivers should be given more freedom in wheel-to-wheel action
16:00, 10 Oct 2018
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Former Renault F1 driver and BBC columnist Jolyon Palmer believes that drivers should be given more leeway when it comes to wheel-to-wheel racing. The Brit believes that there are too many penalties being handed out for minor incidents in close racing between the drivers.
In his regular BBC Sport column, Palmer criticised the way in which racing incidents were dealt with during the Japanese Grand Prix. Incidents involving Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were instances where he felt the drivers should be allowed to race.
"If he had waited until after Spoon, he would have had a better chance to make the move into the chicane at the end of the lap, a much more conventional overtaking spot.
"In a split-second decision, his race was effectively over, and that has been the case all too often for Vettel this year in his championship bid. Moments of misjudgement have cost him a lot.
"The FIA took no action, which was the right decision in a racing incident like this. But a number of other incidents in the race highlighted the problem F1 has with stewards' decisions at the moment.
"One of the best battles you will ever see in Formula 1 was Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica on the last lap in Fuji, in the rain, back in 2007. They were wheel-to-wheel for half a lap, pushing each other to the absolute limits and often going over track limits and rejoining in an unsafe manner.
"Ten years on, that same battle would result in penalties galore. Firstly for pushing another driver off track, then for rejoining the circuit in an unsafe manner, then for gaining an advantage by going off the track. By the letter of the law, so many penalties would have to be applied."
Palmer was concerned however with the lack of penalty assigned to Kevin Magnussen for the late defence of his position against Charles Leclerc.
"However, not penalising Magnussen for a last-minute swerve on a straight at 180mph and causing a collision seems strange.
"But I'd love to see fewer penalties in general for the wheel-to-wheel racing that does happen."
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