Drivers call for clarity in the aftermath of Oscar Piastri's penalty at Interlagos.

As if overtaking isn't difficult enough, some of the penalties dished out over the course of the season are causing drivers to be even more hesitant before making a move.

In Brazil, Piastri was handed a 10s penalty that effectively killed his race stone dead for the incident which saw Charles Leclerc fall innocent victim to a clash involving the Australian and Kimi Antonelli.

Despite claims by various drivers, including Leclerc, that Antonelli was more to blame, the stewards justified their decision insisting that it adhered to the current Driving Standard Guidelines.

And this, according to the drivers, is the problem.

"The guidelines have to be guidelines," urged George Russell. "You have to see every single corner, every circuit, every incident, totally different."

"I think we need urgently a catch-up and try and solve it," agreed Carlos Sainz, "because for me the fact that Oscar got a penalty there is unacceptable, honestly, for the category that we are in and being the pinnacle of motorsport.

"Everyone that's seen racing knows that that is not Oscar's fault at all," he insisted, "and everyone that's really raced a race car knows he could have done nothing to avoid an accident there."

Referring to the penalty he received in Zandvoort, which was subsequently overturned, another at Austin, and Oliver Bearman's in Monza, the Spaniard said: "It's something that I don't understand. There's been not one but multiple incidents this year that are, for me, far from where the sport should be."

"Fortunately for me, a lot of people have done the talking for me," said Piastri. "I think when one of my fellow drivers involved in the accident says it's not your fault, I think that's a pretty good indication," he added. "So, it's something that I'm sure we'll talk about with the FIA, just to get some more understanding.

"I think it was a bit of a surprise for everyone clearly that the penalty was so harsh, myself included. So, I'm sure we'll talk about it. The only thing you can do in these situations is try to learn the reasoning and the thinking behind it and whether that needs to change or not.

"You know, they've been very receptive to that in the past," he said of the FIA, "and I'm sure they will be in the future."

Russell and Sainz are both directors of the drivers' union, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), and the matter is set to be raised with the FIA in Qatar. Basically, the drivers want to know if the guidelines should be treated as the letter of the law or whether stewards should be allowed some flexibility.

"It could go both ways," said Sainz. "You could criticise the way the guidelines are written and we ask the stewards to obviously apply those guidelines as firmly as possible and the stewards are just doing their job. Or are the guidelines just guidelines and the stewards should take them as guidelines and not as black or white?

"I'm not sure what the solution is, but it is very clear for me that after what I saw in Brazil, something is not quite working.

"With good and consistent stewarding - if they truly understand racing really well - through the year we would develop an understanding among us, and you would know when it's your fault," explained the Spaniard. "They would know when it's someone's fault and not.

"This is more my perception of things, but I think if we had three fixed guys, the same way that we have a fixed race director, and we know the way they've been applying penalties through years, then we create that muscle memory of how they tend to rate penalties.

"I honestly think, even without guidelines, we know when it's someone's fault or not, or when it's a simple racing mistake."

However, teammate Alex Albon remains unconvinced.

"Drivers have different opinions on all sorts of subject matters," he said. "Personally, I'm not sure how we'll ever find a solution."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 3 minutes ago

"@ Chester Many people have claimed that the penalty meted out to Piastri was either totally wrong or wrong by degree. I happen to support that view. What really ruffles my feathers is that McLaren could've/should've stood by their driver and protested the ruling....but no, weakly they declined. One has to ask why? Had they mounted a positive case and Piastri had only received a warning then the difference in the WDC would have been seven points instead of fifteen!!!"

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2. Posted by Chester, 27 minutes ago

"Oh, oh... drivers saying Piastri was unfairly treated. "

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Drivers seek overtaking rules clarity

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