The Monte Carlo Grand Prix will go into the archives with Max Verstappen’s victory but, behind the events that have attracted the most attention, there have also been episodes that have left the teams perplexed, especially as regards the penalty remedied by Nico Hulkenberg at the start of the race.
In an attempt to overtake the Williams of Logan Sargeant and recover positions in a racing phase that was as always very agitated on the streets of the Principality, the German of the Haas arrived at the blockage in turn 5, touching his rivals, an element that prompted the marshals to sanction Hulkenberg .
A penalty that didn’t convince the Team Principal of the American team, Gunther Steiner, who underlined that Formula 1 and the FIA should improve the quality of the stewards in the next rounds. To tell the truth, Steiner himself admitted that he still did not understand why Hulkenberg was penalized: “Good question! I’m trying to find out. Because no one can explain it to me. I mean, I was reading some emails at the time, I try to look at the pictures. And I don’t think there was any collision.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
“I was told what a collision is when you touch. This is the definition. And I’m still trying to find out, I’m still arguing. Because I think it’s completely wrong. It’s the first lap, there was no collision. And in the end, what should be done, a parade? Because it’s Monte Carlo.”
“First lap: we get a penalty for what I don’t think is a collision. There are other people who collide during the race and are given the black and white flag [riferendosi al contatto tra Carlos Sainz ed Esteban Ocon]. So I think it’s very inconsistent. If we then look at the accident in Miami between de Vries and Norris, on the first lap, there was no collision”.
“I was told that a collision can be seen in the video. I have looked at numerous pictures and cannot see a collision. And someone wants to tell me there was a collision.”
In the past, the marshals often turned a blind eye to contacts during the first lap, giving the riders more freedom to attack or defend in the group. For this reason we wondered if the episode involving the German driver could also fall under this category, thus avoiding a penalty. However, Steiner explained that he has not received a satisfactory answer on this point either: “We asked and got an answer a lot … it has never been decided, and nobody knows what has been decided. So now trying to find a definition for what a first lap racing incident is.”
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: FIA Pool
In the wake of personal frustration with Hulkenberg’s sanction leaving him bitter and confused, Steiner believes an overhaul of the system is in order. In particular, according to the Haas Team Principal the current FIA system which provides for the use of unpaid stewards is no longer fit for purpose and, indeed, it would be time to introduce professionals who help improve consistency and constancy of the decisions taken during the championship.
“I don’t want to blame anyone in particular, but if you’re not there all the time, and this is like every job… it’s not even a job, because in a job you can get fired because you get paid. And if you do a bad job you get fired. You can’t get fired here because you don’t get paid.”
“I think we have to go back to the question: do we need a different system for stewards?” said Steiner on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix.
“Every professional sport has professionals who are referees and stuff like that. F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world, and we still have laymen who decide the fate of people who invest millions in their careers. And it’s always an argument because there is no coherence”.
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23
Photo by: Erik Junius
“I think we have to take a step forward. I think the time has come. I think we’ve been discussing it for years and years and we always come back to this point. In all other sports there are professionals who deal with it: American racing, NASCAR, IndyCar. How often do you hear problems with the stewards or with the race directors’ decisions? Very rarely. But they do it in a completely different way.”
“There are people who work full time. I always say: innocent until proven guilty. And not that I have to prove I’m innocent, because it doesn’t work for me. That’s not how I lead my life.”
The next step according to Steiner would be to suggest that the issue of stewards be addressed during the next F1 Commission, in order to find a solution that can satisfy everyone. “For me the first thing to do is to decide if we want professional stewards or not. And then we have to decide if it is a working group or what is the best solution”.
“I don’t want to decide on my own, but I think there are a lot of problems. We have to recognize that, and F1 is one of the biggest, if not the biggest sport in the world, and I think we have to take a step forward. This is the my opinion on it”.
“In football there are referees, and they are full-time. Thirty years ago the referee was the local baker, but now the situation has changed. They changed things because they had to be professional and they are responsible.”
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