F1: Mercedes takes advantage of Verstappen-Norris close encounter to win Austrian Grand Prix. He does it with the British George Russell who took advantage of the situation to take home first place, repeating the victory of Brazil 2022. The above-mentioned incident will give the opportunity to speak to more. Rightly so, of course, but the fact remains that interpreting such a case perfectly and giving a fair and definitive judgment on the matter is not at all simple. Our opinion on this matter is worth a two-pointer, we certainly don’t have the truth in our pockets and much less are we commissioners, technicians of the International Federation o ex drivers of the highest category.
Observing the dynamics of the clash, the attitude of the three-time world champion is clearly noted, aimed at giving little space to the Englishman of the McLaren. On the other hand, we know the Dutchman’s tough defense well and for this very reason, keeping in mind that Lando he had the pace to attack and overtake Max, moving to the left a few centimeters to avoid trouble was possible. With this we do not want to argue that the error is Norris. However, being in fact still behind the RB20 and then with good visibility, the British on board the MCL38 had the ability to significantly limit the risks.
For the rest, further considerations always on the subject take shape. The first is very simple and easy to read: when in F1 the pressure is felt even by champions like Verstappen they are in trouble. Precisely for this reason the talent of Hasselt pulled out their claws to repel the attack in a preventive manner, right or wrong. Another issue concerns the general perception of opinion towards cases of this kind, which often tends to be excessive. Let us remember that we are still talking about competition at the highest levels, where every little detail can make the difference.
Nobody wants to lose and for this very reason duels on the track can often be tough and lead to consequences like yesterday’s. To conclude, we can say that we are not on anyone’s side in this affair. The sporting regulation is too convoluted in these cases and makes the work of the steward given the endless plethora of quibbles that must be taken into account in order to arrive at a conclusion that comes as close as possible to the written truth.
F1, Austrian GP telemetry and images nail Verstappen
Turning the page there is another interesting matter on which it is worth spending a few words. At this juncture we are dealing with the diatribe regarding parking at the airport box of lap 23 which always sees protagonists Verstappen e Norris. Additional aspect that has held the stage during the Austrian Grand Prix registered 2024. To carry out the reasoning we use a couple of essential tools: on-board Of F1Tv and telemetry obtained from GPS official of the Formula One. Means through which the argument includes precise factors through which to expose the facts.
Returned 23, as we were saying: Max is called to box from the Red bull for his first stop. On the same tour comes the stop of Lando that arrived in pit-laneto reach his pitch and stop, he must necessarily pass in front of the garage of the stable of Milton Keynes. In doing so he sees it start again Verstappen and is forced to brake to avoid a more than possible contact. Thanks to the telemetry data, we note how the MCL38 of English slow down by hitting the brake pedal (orange line) compared to a normal pit entry (white line)
Sudden slowdown which lowers the travel speed by 21km/h. Let’s talk about a time-wasting factor Norris and most likely avoids the crash between the two cars. As we can easily see from the image below, the front left of the MCL38 goes to the block and produces smoke due to the sudden deceleration of the papaya-colored car. The commissioners of the FIA They had telemetry and images available but, after reviewing the evidence, they decided that the extremes for a unsafe release they were not clear enough.
Considering the dynamics of the incident, to which we add other similar cases punished with firmness, we can argue that, as far as we are concerned, not imposing the penalty was a mistake. The sports regulation 34.14 section “C” speaks clearly in this sense: If an F1 car is released in an unsafe condition from the pit area during a race stop, a penalty under Article 54.3 will be imposed on the driver concerned.. In short, the penalty was all there. It’s a shame that the race direction didn’t have the same idea, despite having all the evidence available to punish Verstappen.
Author: Alessandro Arcari – @berrageiz
Images: F1Tv
Telemetry: Marco Iurlandino
