The big topic since Sunday is the maneuver of Max Verstappen during the defense against Lewis Hamilton, when both racers got off the track. The FIA recorded the incident, but the punishment did not come, which is probably the right decision. But in the past, similar maneuvers were mostly penalized, what were the situations and what was the punishment? This is described in the following article.
Tags: FIA History Rules
Published on November 20, 2021 – Vašek Štěpánek
Verstappen VS Hamilton, GP Sao Paula 2021 – without punishment
In the 48th round of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Verstappen faced a heavy attack from his opponent in the World Cup. Hamilton was in the run-up to turn number 4 in front of the Red Bull driver, but he braked a little longer, did not brake in the turn and both racers were forced to go off the track.
The FIA noted the situation. However, race director Michael Masi decided not to punish and did not call the actions of both competitors ‘hard racing’. However, Mercedes demanded a re-examination after the publication of footage from Verstappen’s car. However, the proposal was rejected before the Qatar GP.
Verstappen VS Hamilton, Italian GP 2021 – three places penalty
A very iconic picture of the mutual struggle between Verstappen and Hamilton was created this year at Monza, Italy. Both competitors fought for a position in the first and very close bullying. The Mercedes driver chose the inside, the Verstappen drove the outside.
The result was a collision that knocked both riders out of the race. The British gave his opponent little space and Verstappen did not give up his attack for a change. The stewards eventually accused Max Verstappen of the crash, who was not far enough ahead and therefore had no ‘right to race’ – as the FIA called it. The result was a three-digit penalty for the upcoming GP in Russia.
Hamilton VS Verstappen, British GP 2021 – penalty 10 seconds
The first big confrontation between the title candidates this season… Lewis Hamilton pushed into the Copse corner in the first round of the British GP and wanted to take on his rival. But Max Verstappen did not dodge, he did not have much to go, and there was the first incident between the two competitors.
The Red Bull pilot was immediately out of the game, Hamilton was penalized 10 seconds. However, the home hero was helped by the red flag and the Safety Car – this put Hamilton back into the game and then won in front of the home audience, which really disappointed the Red Bull management.
Russell VS Sainz, Sprint at British GP 2021 – three seats penalty
The Williams pilot fought Carlos Sainz in the opening round of the first sprint in England. But Russell was late in the turn, braking and not making the turn perfectly. Because of this, the Scuderie pilot had to go off the track and lost several positions.
The stewards were clear and accused George Russell of the incident. The young Briton then received a penalty in the form of a drop of three places at the start for the main race on Sunday. The situation was all the more painful as Russell and his weak Williams placed eighth in Friday’s qualifiers.
Norris VS Pérez, Austrian GP 2021 – penalty 5 seconds
Lando Norris received a five-second penalty at the Red Bull Ring in Austria for pushing Sergio Pérez off the track. The Mexican was on the outside in the fourth turn, but the McLaren pilot was late in the turn and was forced to push his opponent off the track.
Perez subsequently lost several positions, Norris received a penalty for the change. But the McLaren pilot did not have to regret the penalty so much. Thanks to the solid speed of his monopost, despite the penalty, he finished for the third stage of winners this season.
Hamilton VS Albon, Austrian GP 2020 – penalty 5 seconds
Almost the same incident we saw this year between Norris and Pérez took place on the same track a year ago between Hamilton and Albon. The Mercedes driver later braked into turn number 4 and pushed Albon off the track. But the Thai paid for the field, which was previously taken care of by the Safety Car’s trip.
The Red Bull driver fell from the third place to the full tail and did not finish the race. But the Briton was given a five-second penalty, which cost him the podium. In the final rounds, Norris approached Hamilton, who was able to enjoy the taste of champagne for the first time in his career.
Verstappen VS Leclerc, Austrian GP 2019 – without penalty
Charles Leclerc was in the lead at the entire Red Bull Ring in Austria. In the final laps, however, Max Verstappen caught up with the Ferrari pilot. But the Dutchman wanted to give the home Red Bull the coveted victory.
Verstappen therefore brazenly overtook his opponent in the run into the third turn, where he literally batted the young Monačan off the track. However, the FIA did not punish the incident and Red Bull could rejoice in its first victory with Honda. Leclerc had to wait for the first triumph until Belgium, which took place two months later.
Ricciardo VS Norris / Räikkönen, French GP 2019 – double penalty 5 seconds
Although the Australian finished seventh with Renault in France, he dropped to 11 after subsequent penalties, but the first penalty came due to Ricciard’s fight with Norris. In an attempt to defend his position, the Renault driver pushed his opponent out and returned to the track with a dangerous maneuver.
Ricciardo then tried to overtake Kimi Räikkönen on Alfa Romeo. Unfortunately, the Australian chose an illegal way of overtaking. Ricciardo Icemana overtook when he was behind the white line indicating the track limits. The FIA investigated the situation and gave Ricciard another five-second penalty for gaining an illegal advantage.
Vettel VS Hamilton, Canadian GP 2019 – penalty 5 seconds
Sebastian Vettel was very close to the end of Mercedes’ domination in Canada, which the German team undoubtedly had at the beginning of 2019. But the Ferrari driver had Lewis Hamilton’s back behind the race, which was obviously faster.
But the German made a small mistake under pressure, drove onto the lawn and then returned to the race track. With his maneuver, Vettel ‘blocked’ the way for Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari stewards were penalized 5 seconds for a dangerous return. Hamilton won the race, while Vettel did not hide his disappointment. This incident may still lie in Vettel’s stomach to this day.
Rosberg VS Hamilton, Austrian GP 2016 – penalty 5 seconds
The clear dominance of one team and the fight between colleagues has their risks – mutual collisions, of which there were quite a few between Rosberg and Hamilton. But the last was an incident from the Red Bull Ring in 2016, when both riders were fighting for victory.
In the approach to the third turn, Rosberg did not intentionally turn and pushed his colleague off the track. But Lewis Hamilton did not give up and fought with a colleague in the escape zone. But the result was another undesirable collision between Mercedes drivers. The British escaped unscathed, but Rosberg lost the front wing.
The Germans were subsequently overtaken by Räikkönen and Verstappen… and to make matters worse, Rosberg received an additional 5 second penalty from the stewards for his maneuver. However, there was no further change in the final results, as Rosberg had a solid lead to fifth in the finish despite the incident.
