Hot Topic Austria: To penalise or not to penalise?

In the aftermath of a race laden with penalties, some questionable, the reasonable consensus is that the lap four clash between Lando Norris and Sergio Perez was simply a racing incident and that the "let them race" ethos was not adhered to.

There has been a general outcry from former drivers, pundits and fans regarding the matter but, at the same time, the refereeing of F1 is not that simple, as Masi's wordy post-race report tried to explain.

Nevertheless, it is our hot topic from Round 9 of the F1 World Championship, with it eliciting various reactions from the paddock and beyond. This is what has been said:

Lando Norris: "I thought, on Lap One [after the Safety Car] was just racing really, [Perez] tried to go around the outside which is a bit stupid, and he ran off the track himself, I didn't even push him. In fact, it was the opposite and I did everything safely. Why should I deserve penalty points for that? Why should I deserve penalty points today for someone going into the gravel? Nothing I’ve done is dangerous."

Sergio Perez: "With Lando, I think it wasn’t fair racing there. I felt like I was ahead and he just took me off the circuit. He was lucky not to have any damage but next time it can be different. Anyway, my race was ruined after that."

Christian Horner: "I didn't have a major problem with the Lando move, it was racing. It was hard racing. It was wheel-to-wheel, so then to get a penalty for that, I guess they gave themselves no choice when he had the same with Charles. but that's racing. Otherwise, you're going to get drivers just chucking themselves off the circuit and claiming penalties. So it's a bit disappointing. For me, that's hard racing.”

Helmut Marko: "To be honest, Lando did not deserve the five-second penalty. Sergio and him were totally pushing the limits. For me, I think it was a racing incident. We're in Formula 1, these are the best drivers in the world and if they just touch you shouldn't be penalized, and they didn't even touch. These are the races we want to see that with drivers battling at the very limit."

Andreas Seidl: “To be honest I don’t understand why he gets a penalty there,” added Seidl. “That is for me racing, and racing that we all want to see. I don’t think that Lando did anything wrong. It was in addition at the beginning of the race, where everyone needs to settle in first, and he was just going on his racing line. He didn’t do anything stupid and didn’t do some dive-bombing or whatever. He was always parallel to him or even slightly ahead of Checo. So honestly, I don’t understand. I also don’t understand why, for example, a driver steward doesn’t bring more across there, on what’s actually going on there, in this first race lap for a race driver. So it will be interesting what we hear from Michael [Masi] on this.”

Max Verstappen: "I don’t think [Norris] deserves a ban for what he did today. It’s just not correct. I mean, I’ve been there myself, I’ve been at nine or 10 points myself. It’s how it goes. But I don’t think with the things he got the penalty points for, let’s say you would get to 12, you don’t deserve a ban for that. I said it before myself I think two years ago, we should look into that but let’s see.”

Ross Brawn: "There were some tough decisions regarding penalties in the race, one of which impacted Lando. No one, including the stewards, want to see penalties and I think they will be debated for a long time. But equally, we can’t have unregulated aggression on the track. It’s not what we want to see either. Finding that balance isn’t always easy."

Juan Pablo Montoya: “Why is it a penalty, because there’s gravel? If there’s a run-off, is it not a penalty? If somebody drives somebody over a banana and off the race track, why is there not a penalty and why in Turn 4 is there a penalty? Because it was gravel? Anybody that you are side by side with and pushes you off the track should get a penalty? I don’t know. I think it’s crazy. In my opinion, if I was the deciding person, I would say that if you were on the outside, you have no business being on the outside, and that’s been taught from the karting days."

Timo Glock: “I think you have to leave space. It’s already difficult to overtake in F1. It should therefore be fair to overtake both inside and outside. There are no rules which says that you can’t overtake outside. Whoever tries knows the dangers. In my opinion in fairness, you should give your rival space. Norris knew he was being attacked. When you think about racing, to show the sporting side, you have to give your rival enough space and not selfishly push him off the track."

Will Dodds: "The implementation of penalties in F1 has been a bit confused for a while now. They need to make their thinking clear to avoid grey areas as best as possible and if I was Norris I would certainly feel hard done by. Applying penalties in motor racing is a tough job, but the level of consistency is not what it needs to be."

Mark Kay: "Unless driving incidents are of malicious intent, or through carelessness, there needs to be a certain degree of leniency, and only a person who has experienced that level themselves would be capable of making those decisions. On Sunday, the drivers who clashed had already sought out one another, discussed and resolved their issues, shook hands and gone home, while the bureaucrats procrastinated in the steward’s office about what to do. If F1 forgets that the drivers are gladiators in battle, it will no longer be F1."

Jad Mallak: "I felt Norris’ penalty was unwarranted. Both he and Perez were racing on the edge with Perez showing a hint of impatience. Making that move around the outside stick was always going to be a tall order and the clash was expected - but not out of dirty driving from any of them. The first incident between Checo and Charles Leclerc could have been given a blind eye although to Leclerc’s credit he almost had the position on Perez. But their second incident was rightly dealt with. So just give the drivers a break and in case the offence is repeated, take action. They should consider a fixed team of stewards to handle all races to ensure consistency."

Kevin Melro: "Michael Masi reprised his role as F1's 'racing villain' as the FIA Race Director participated in an attack on the fundamental essence of motorsport. Discretion is key in the application of rules and unfortunately, it was waved during the Austrian Grand Prix, where a rigid application was used instead. We are only two years on from the precedent-setting 2019 Austrian Grand Prix where Verstappen shoved Leclerc off the circuit at Turn 3 for the lead, a move that ultimately won him the race despite intense scrutiny. Verstappen kept his win then and it was a big victory for everyone involved, but the latest rules relapse makes many of us feel like losers once again."

Paul Velasco: "A bad call spawned a few more dubious ones on the day. The officials messed up; Derek Warwick should have known better. We all make mistakes. Move on. But in future keep it simple and let them race."