It’s a pretty solid impeding penalty, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single place penalty be handed out for that.
Yeah I think this penalty is bullshit. Since both of them are on build laps, max is under no obligation to move over for Russell. As for Russell’s argument that ‘slow’ cars should be off the racing line, no driver will drive off the racing line when there is no car on a hot lap to let through because it is dirty off line which will affect the tyre and ruin their tyre preparations.
This sets a dangerous precedent where cars behind will try to spook and bully cars ahead on build laps by rushing at them and making them either go faster and not get to prepare properly or go offline and pick up dust and rubber onto the tyre surface which again affects tyre preparations
Doesn’t not having a penalty set a precedent for the opposite? Cars intentionally slowing down to throw off cars behind them (without fear of getting a penalty for it?)
Max didn’t react to Russell. It was not like he slammed the brake or changed his line to block Russell. Russell could and should have overtaken by going off the racing line which is what cars overtaking on prep laps usually do.
Edit : Also the maximum lap time ensures that you can’t ‘block’ the car behind for the entire the lap. You have speed up at some point to come back within the delta
The article mentions how it was a “complicated one” since neither driver is on a hot lap. Interesting, all of it
Yeah the last paragraph doesn’t even make any sense. https://www.fia.com/news/f1-verstappen-loses-qatar-pole-following-one-place-grid-penalty
Maybe being a race director for both F1 and F2, during a sprint weekend, is too much work. Or maybe Marques should be fired too…