Juan Pablo Montoya thinks it’s “crazy” to punish Formula 1 drivers for their defense from outside after three incidents at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Lando Norris received a five-second time penalty after knocking Sergio Perez off track in the battle for position shortly after the safety car restart at the Red Bull Ring.
Perez tried to overtake Norris on the outside of Turn 4 just so Norris could squeeze the Red Bull driver out. It caused Perez to hit the gravel and drop from third to 10th place.
The penalty has been criticized by both McLaren and Red Bull, but FIA Race Director Michael Masi said Norris failed to go outside the regulation width of a car.
Perez would later receive the same penalty, receiving two five-second penalties for separate incidents with Charles Leclerc at Turn 4 and Turn 6 when the Ferrari driver tried to bypass the outside.
Former McLaren and Williams F1 driver Montoya believed that drivers who tried to move outside of the corners should be aware of the possible consequences.
“What do I think happened in the race … I mean, why is it a penalty for having gravel?” Montoya told Motorsport TV Live after the race on Sunday. “If there is a runoff, isn’t that a penalty?
“If someone drives someone over a banana and off the track, why is there no penalty and why is there a penalty at Turn 4? Because it was gravel? Anyone you are side by side with and knock you off the track should be fined?
“I don’t know. I think it’s crazy. In my opinion, if I were the key person I’d say if you are outside you have nothing to do when you are outside and that was out of the kart.” -Times taught.
“Unless they change the mindset of karting and the little formulas of how they do things, it’s very difficult. All of these children have grown up [being told] that if someone tries to overtake you on the outside, you will drive them off the damn track! And you have to!
“So what do you expect? Why do you get angry walking around outside?
“The best example is Sergio. Sergio was dumped in the grass because he was outside and then things turned around and he was the guy inside and he let the guy fall outside. “
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Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Montoya believed the FIA needed to clarify the rules for drivers regarding wheel-to-wheel battles, but allowed for the gray area where cars were defined side by side.
“I think the difficult thing is, either the drivers are in control and they go and let us do the race, or the stewards go, oh no, you have to share a seat,” said Montoya. “If you have to share a room you have to define, OK, half the car is there, so you are side by side, when do you have to give room?
“It becomes a verdict again, and when you have a verdict everyone gets really, really unhappy because [they’ll say] ‘Oh, I thought I was there’ and someone else will say, ‘No, you weren’t far enough, you missed so much.’ “
The post “Crazy” to punish F1 drivers for defending outside movement first appeared on monter-une-startup.
