Max Verstappen faces scrutiny as FIA penalties ignite controversy, raising questions about bias and fairness in Formula 1’s governance.
For largely justified reasons, Max Verstappen has been under FIA scrutiny during the 2024 season. The symbol of this? The Mexican Grand Prix, where the Dutchman received two separate ten-second penalties for maneuvers deemed excessively aggressive against Lando Norris’s McLaren F1.
However, throughout the year, the FIA has at times appeared lenient toward Verstappen or similar maneuvers by other drivers.
The overall record is lackluster, reigniting the debate over permanent stewards (which the FIA refuses to implement).
“I agree, there’s always inconsistency,” laments Juan Pablo Montoya, who also had his share of disputes with the FIA and stewards during his F1 career.
But could Max Verstappen also be facing unfavorable treatment due to his bad reputation? Without naming the Red Bull driver, Montoya admits that a negative bias can sometimes exist among stewards.
“If the FIA doesn’t like you, what typically happens with a race steward is that if you’re penalized for an incident, the next time you’re involved, in 90% of cases, even if you’re innocent, they’ll penalize you because you have a history.”
Montoya might be referencing the Qatar Grand Prix, where Verstappen lost his pole position for impeding George Russell, despite neither being on a flying lap.
“In their minds, for the stewards, they can’t erase what you’ve done before. You get a reputation. Even if you’ve already served the penalty, it’s like stealing money, going to jail, getting out, and then finding that money is missing somewhere. The next time a policeman catches you, he’ll assume it’s you. That’s reality.”
Regarding wheel-to-wheel battles, the FIA seems to have toughened its sanctions in the second half of the season. The rules were revised, notably at Lando Norris’s request, so that the first car reaching the apex is no longer automatically favored—a rule that previously encouraged ‘dive-bombs.’
“The rules are very simple,” Montoya insists. “If you are side by side at the apex, you must share the racing line, leave space, do something. And people aren’t doing that.”
However, the former McLaren F1 driver also holds the drivers accountable.
“In F1, they’ve always gotten away with it. But it’s the drivers who wrote most of the rules, isn’t it? I believe many of the driving standards come from the GPDA. So, if you were part of the decision-making to make the rules fair, why are you complaining now?”
Jordan criticizes Lando Norris’s penalty in Qatar
The incidents at the Qatar Grand Prix, particularly the penalty given to Norris for failing to slow under yellow flags, have also drawn criticism from paddock observers.
“Many people were confused, frustrated, left feeling that it was yet another Grand Prix where we don’t fully understand the penalties applied,” remarked David Coulthard, though he admitted Norris’s penalty “didn’t seem unfair.”
Eddie Jordan directly criticized the FIA and its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“What is happening with the FIA? Look, I’m reaching out to you, Mohammed. I really like you; I’ve known you for 35 years. But please, take back control of what’s happening at the FIA. Yes, I might get banned from Grands Prix. I don’t care.”
“I just don’t see the FIA acting properly, nor the stewards behaving properly. It was wrong,” he declared.
Clearly, Jordan has not yet come to terms with the penalty handed to Lando Norris in Qatar.
“Every person in that team, at McLaren, should feel aggrieved because they often say, ‘We will investigate after the race.’ Isn’t that what happens? Often? Did they do it? No, they didn’t. Even though the race was nearing its end.”
“Everyone, in any jurisdiction around the world, deserves fair justice, and that fairness includes the chance to defend themselves. It’s fundamental globally, and I think Lando was denied that.”
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FIA Bias Allegations: Verstappen’s Penalties Spark Debate FIA Bias Allegations: Verstappen’s Penalties Spark Debate
