Max Verstappen has denied George Russell’s previous claim that there was one driver who was against changing the Formula 1 racing guidelines mid-season in 2024.
Prior to the weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, the 20 drivers have met with F1 bosses to discuss tweaking the racing rules in reaction to controversial stewarding decisions.
The call to alter the rulebook derived from a dubious United States Grand Prix last month which saw Max Verstappen escape penalties for pushing Lando Norris wide.
Verstappen’s second clash with Norris saw him also venture outside track limits, but it was the McLaren driver who the stewards chose to punish as he lost a podium.
One week later, however, Verstappen was disciplined on two occasions with separate 10-second penalties over two similar incidents on the same lap involving Norris.
But while both Mercedes drivers voiced that the meeting was productive, Verstappen has claimed the main problem is most circuits having vast asphalt run-off areas.
When told that most drivers had agreed on the required modifications, Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week: “I think that’s the right way to sum it up.
“We still need for sure a few more discussions about certain things. But I think it more has to do with the track layout.
“You know, in some places you just have a lot of runoff, and that creates already a lot of issues, so that’s something that we have to work on for the future anyway.”
When that comment was put to him, Verstappen, who was touted as one driver who might have been in disagreement, retorted: “That was not the case.”
He added: “No, it was not the case. It was just one particular driver agreeing or disagreeing with certain things.”
Verstappen has received mass criticism over how he has tended to exploit a rule that governs the driver who is ahead at the apex doesn’t have to give space to a rival.
But the reigning F1 champion has stated that drivers would stop attempting to complete overtakes around the outside with preventative measures like gravel in place.
When how overtaking on the outside can still be viable in F1, Verstappen explained: “It depends on the track, the shape of the corner.
“I think overtaking in a low-speed corner around the outside is way more complicated than a medium-speed or a high-speed corner, because that’s where most of the time you carry momentum, and then it’s a bit different.
“Plus, yeah, when there is no gravel, you can just drive off the track without any consequences normally.
“But on some tracks that we go to, you see either a clear overtake around the outside or people backing out of it, because you’re afraid to go into the gravel from the car on the inside or the outside. And that already, I think, cancels out 90% of our issues that we have nowadays”.
Has F1 become overregulated?
Verstappen reiterated his stance that F1 has become too overregulated in recent times, but he acknowledged that the FIA has a tough task to attain the right balance.
“I think everyone agrees with that, but sometimes it’s not that easy to just throw all the rules overboard,” he added.
“Like I said, I think the biggest issue that we have is just, in some places, the tracks that have way too much run-off.”
Pressed on the finances and time involved to make the changes he has suggested, Verstappen answered: “Yeah, but if you want less problems, you have to.
“But, of course, some tracks are a bit more difficult than others, but how much do you want F1 to drive on your track then? It’s as simple as that.”
Verstappen praises Qatar tweaks
This weekend’s venue, the Lusail International Circuit, has implemented more gravel stripes on the outside at certain corners to help deal with the issue of track limits.
“I think that will help already, yeah,” Verstappen concluded.
“I mean, around here there are a lot of high-speed corners anyway, so there are less, I think, problems anyway with the kind of racing that we have had in some places.
“But I think normally, yeah, gravel, of course, as soon as you go, you touch it, you lose a lot of lap time, so you don’t want to. You want to touch it.”
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