Parc Ferme: Max-ing F1 regs

Many bits and bytes have already been dedicated to a fudged decision by the Stewards over the first-turn tussle between the reigning Formula 1 champion and his McLaren rival.

Giving Max a five-second penalty for overtaking off track instead of the now normal ten-second forfeit underlined their vacillation.

This strange application of the regs highlighted how decidedly undecided they were about whether the Dutchman had gained an advantage or not.

The problem here is not so much the Stewards but the regulations. I’m talking about the requirement to be alongside another car at the apex to be given racing room and the articulated but unwritten rule of “let them race at the start.”

In the first instance, the “apex” of a corner is in the eye of the driver or Steward and will always be a matter of conjecture. Luckily for Max, gaming this dysfunctional regulation falls directly to his unique driving style – coming off the brakes early, and carrying speed into the corner. There’s no crime in doing something that you’re good at.

Secondly, “let them race at the start” is as ambiguous as you can get, and encourages drivers to take liberties. During a post-race interview, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner questioned why it had not been invoked.

The good doctor also waded in, citing the Stewards turning a blind eye to the same manoeuvre earlier in the F2 race. Wanting to understand when and how this ad hominem should be applied, and for how many corners, laps, etc., is not unreasonable?

It's not the first time there’s been questions over both of these “regulations”. Parc Ferme finds this situation strange. The FIA seem happy to tweak the technical regulations, but are reluctant to tackle the issues blighting their sporting stablemate.

However, nobody exploits these redundant regulations better than Max, and he almost gave us a masterclass once again. I say almost because this time, he was on the outside, not on the inside.

Without a doubt, his actions were a premeditated plan B if Piastri got the drop on him at the start. Unfortunately for the four-time world champion, the pre-planning bit was probably his undoing. Parc Ferme presumes the data backs up what the cameras showed. There was no intention or possibility of remaining on the track at Turn 1’s exit as he squared off Turn 2 with his foot still full in.

Many decry his approach to cynically gaming the rules, but Parc Ferme does not count among them. In F1, bending the rules is part of the competition, and playing by them is for vice-champions and the rest of the grid that finishes behind. The Dutchman may be the purest expression of this tradition in driver terms.

However, without a car that can no longer deliver regular wins, Max must now be more circumspect when battling his competitors. The days of being able to drop a race through a collision with another driver have gone.

If he is to win another F1 World Championship this year, he needs to finish every one of them now, and in the points. Unfortunately for him, a young Aussie also knows this, one who has the car underneath him that can exploit this disadvantage, just like he did last weekend.

Max’s truculent post-race interviews would suggest he knows that he knows, that he also knows. A storm is coming!