Ralf Schumacher names the Formula 1 rule he would change ‘immediately’, Max Verstappen wouldn’t be happy

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The Formula 1 rules of engagement have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent seasons.

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen understands better than anyone how they work.

Although the four-time world champion was one penalty point away from a race ban at the British Grand Prix, more often than not, he’s just on the right side of the rules on most occasions.

However, some of his fiercest rivals might not necessarily agree.

Verstappen drove into George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this year, which put him on the precipice of sitting out a race weekend.

Damon Hill criticised Verstappen’s driving in Mexico City last season when he clashed with Lando Norris twice, but the Dutchman is typically the expert when it comes to wheel-to-wheel racing.

Ralf Schumacher believes that one of Verstappen’s best tricks should be outlawed in Formula 1.

It would eliminate one contentious issue that has dominated post-race discussions over the past few seasons.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Ralf Schumacher wants to give F1 drivers on the inside of corners the benefit of the doubt

Schumacher was asked on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast what he would do if he could change one rule in Formula 1 and said: “I think it’s all become quite complex.

“Personally, I don’t really like the rule that you are allowed to pass on the outside.

“At some point, they came up with that on their own. Of course, from a racing point of view, it’s possible for cars to drive side-by-side through the bend, but somehow it doesn’t really fit into the DNA of motorsport.

“You take a corner, the one on the inside who is in front owns the corner, the other one has to disappear, from my point of view.

“So that’s what bothers me the most. It also caused a lot of trouble, forcing a car off the track, which you have all the time, because in the end, the physics comes into play.

“That’s just the way it is, and it causes problems that didn’t exist before.”

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher tells Red Bull the real person to blame as Christian Horner exit won’t ‘change anything’

How Ralf Schumacher’s Formula 1 rule change would have impacted Max Verstappen

The FIA’s ‘Driving Standards Guidelines’ apply to all categories within the single-seater racing pyramid, with Formula 1 sitting at the top.

There are many factors that go into determining whether an overtake was fair; however, the rules are different for when a driver is trying to overtake on the inside as opposed to the outside.

The driver trying to overtake around the outside needs to have their front axle at least alongside the front axle of the car they’re trying to pass at the apex of the corner and the exit.

However, what this has led to, and Verstappen is an expert at, is the driver on the outside taking their foot off the brake to force themselves alongside their opponent, before complaining on the team radio if they’re then forced off the track.

Oscar Piastri was furious with his error at Imola that allowed Verstappen to pass going into the first corner, but that was a rare example of the move being pulled off perfectly.

But if Schumacher’s rule change came in, then it would make overtaking the tactic of easing off the brake mid-corner irrelevant, giving the driver on the inside far more power in any wheel-to-wheel battle.