Ferrari chief cites Mercedes ace George Russell to slam ‘joke’ issue F1 are discussing

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Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has highlighted Mercedes ace George Russell as a top example of the FIA making its rules a ‘joke’ over the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Vasseur is resolute that Formula 1 owes its fanbase, competitors, sponsors and stakeholders greater clarity after a frustrating campaign. The Ferrari chief often took issue with the lack of consistency the FIA displayed when it issued penalties for crashes, track limits or impeding.

One driver who often found themselves as the focus of the FIA stewards’ attention in 2023 was Russell. But Vasseur notes how the Mercedes pilot visited the stewards 14 times during the season. Yet the 25-year-old only landed penalties at the Monaco GP and Las Vegas GP.

Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur cites Mercedes driver George Russell’s penalty record

The FIA stewards issued Russell a five-second time penalty and handed the Mercedes driver two points for re-joining the track in an unsafe manner in Monaco. Sergio Perez crashed into Russell as he re-joined after running on at Mirabeau. It threw away his chances of a podium.

Russell also received another two penalty points for his collision with Max Verstappen at the Las Vegas GP. The Norfolk native initially drew a five-second time penalty for hitting the Red Bull star as Verstappen dived down Russell’s inside, damaging the 26-year-old’s front wing.

Perez, meanwhile, is the Formula 1 driver closest to receiving a one-race ban for reaching 12 points in 12 months. The Red Bull racer currently holds seven points and will not see his tally shrink until September. Russell will lose the two points that he received in Monaco this May.

Frederic Vasseur slams the FIA for making its Formula 1 penalties a ‘joke’ in 2023

Track limits was also a hugely controversial aspect of the 2023 Formula 1 season, especially at the Austrian GP. Nine drivers received penalties for exceeding track limits during the race in July. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was the worst culprit with time penalties reaching 30 seconds.

Only Russell and Zhou Guanyu avoided exceeding track limits at the Red Bull Ring across the 71 laps. While Perez fell over the edge of the circuit in qualifying and lost his best lap time in Q2. The fast, downhill nature of Turns 9 and 10, in particular, caught the Formula 1 field out.

But the inconsistency the FIA stewards showed through the 2023 F1 season when they gave penalties frustrated Ferrari chief Vasseur. He now admits the Formula 1 Commission is also discussing how to improve the system as there is ‘no point’ in having rules that are ignored.

“I think the main problem we’ve had this season is the consistency of decisions,” explained Vasseur, via Motorsport-Total. “We’re talking about that in the Formula 1 Commission.

“The most important thing is that the fans understand what we are doing and that they can understand the decisions that the FIA ​​makes on the track – regardless of whether we are talking about the track limits or the maximum lap time in qualifying.

“It was a joke this season. I think Russell had to go to the stewards 14 times and never got a penalty. That means either the rule isn’t good or the stewards aren’t applying the rule consistently. But there’s no point in having a rule if you don’t do anything.”