Quote:
Originally Posted by wnut
The issue of not leaving a car width from the edge of the track to a car alongside you though would appear to be absolutely clear cut, perhaps some painted lines on the track designating a car width from the circuit edge would be in order. You can weave as much as you like, but you must stay on one side or the other of the marked line.
The problem is that many of the stewards decisions don't stand up to any examination for consistency.
Jolyon Palmer puts it reasonably eloquently here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-331N72Iu0 |
I know what you mean but I disagree with the idea of painted lines on the track surface - just one more thing to cause traction loss and in wet conditions simply adds to risk.
I think that one of the things many get wrong when discussing consistency (including Mr Palmer in the video) is comparing stewards decisions now with those taken in previous years. There's a new rule book issued each year, fresh briefings and changes made to how the sport is run, even though sometimes those changes are minor. We can see that right now for example with the re-introduction of the "bad sportsmanship" flag being used in Grands Prix.
I also think that the Vettel penalty in Canada this year was something of a watershed and it certainly appears that the approach taken to judging on-track moments has altered since then - no doubt discussed at some length in drivers briefings.
Consistency should be judged over a shorter period due to the changing and evolving nature of the sport itself and the development of rules and interpretations. Personally I like that the shackles have been loosened somewhat although it may still all end in tears whilst drivers work out the new limits and no doubt some will overstep and either go beyond the "warning" point or worse but if we get better racing from it, less in-depth over-analysis and a bit more "edge" back in the sport (without risking driver safety) then it seems to me that it's a good thing.