"Rocket science"

Rules chaos in Formula 1: drivers demand clarity

The limits of the rules are often unclear to some drivers.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Rudy Carezzevoli)

Formula 1 drivers are often no longer clear about when they are within the bounds of what is permitted and when they are overstepping the boundaries of the rules. They are therefore now calling for clear instructions from the FIA.

"It's difficult to think about any guidelines when you're overtaking and 20 meters later you're braking on the inside. You don't ask yourself whether you are in front at the apex or whether the stewards will classify your behaviour as wrong," criticizes Carlos Sainz, for example.

Carlos Sainz is not a fan of the rules.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Stroll wants "simpler rules"
Words that Aston Martin's Lance Stroll can only agree with. "It used to be easier. You had to give way as soon as another car was even a little bit next to you. Now you have to be in a certain position to the side of the other car and so on. Racing has become rocket science. That's why I think it's time for some simpler rules," Motorsport-total.com quotes the Canadian as saying. 

Lance Stroll no longer knows his way around either.

(Bild: AP)

Yuki Tsunoda goes one step further: the Japanese driver believes that the race stewards are asking the drivers to behave like AI-controlled machines. 

Vicious circle
Max Verstappen also has his usual clear words, with the three-time world champion complaining: "I think we're getting to a point where I always have to have the rule book with me in the car. And this book has gotten quite thick over the years. We are definitely over-regulated." Although the Dutchman is lenient. "If there are no more rules and then an incident happens, the next thing you hear is: we need more rules. It's always the same," says the Red Bull driver, seeing a vicious circle. 

It was only in Texas that a duel between Vertappen and Lando Norris caused a stir. When the McLaren driver was pushed out of the corner by his championship rival a few laps before the finish, the Englishman left the track - an offense that was subsequently punished with a five-second penalty. The fact that the FIA handed out a penalty in this case, but has allowed similar situations to pass without further discussion in the past, is something the racing team is not prepared to accept and is now taking legal action against the decision.