Sergio Perez, a driver for Red Bull Racing, expressed his concern about the ongoing inconsistency in the stewarding decisions in Formula 1 following the penalty given to Fernando Alonso in Australia. The stewards decided to impose a 20-second time drop on Alonso for his involvement in an incident that caused George Russell to crash out at Turn Six on the final lap. The stewards’ report stated that Alonso had slowed down significantly earlier than usual and downshifted at a point where he hadn’t done so before. Perez agreed with the decision to penalize Alonso but worries that it won’t set a precedent for similar incidents in the future. He pointed out his own three-place grid drop for impeding Nico Hulkenberg in Q1 and other situations that went unpunished, highlighting the inconsistencies in the penalties. Perez expressed his fear that incidents like this may occur again without any consequences, emphasizing the need for consistency in the penalties imposed by the stewards.
Inquired about the potential benefits of having a permanent steward, Perez responded affirmatively. He expressed the belief that either having permanent stewards or improving communication within the FIA would lead to consistent improvement in races. Perez cited an example from a previous race where he blocked Hulkenberg, resulting in minimal damage, yet Bottas was able to reach speeds of 300 kph with two cars in an unsafe position without any penalties. He emphasized the need for improvement and consistency within the FIA.
It has been suggested that one drawback of implementing a permanent steward is the possibility of personal bias leading to continued penalties against a specific driver. When asked about the reasons behind the current setup, Perez highlighted the lack of connection from one weekend to another. He noted that when stewards change, there is no continuity in considering the events of the previous races. Perez believed that this lack of regularity and continuity hinders the decision-making process.
When questioned about the potential benefits of introducing consistent decision-making, Perez emphasized the importance of continuity and communication. He compared it to setting up a car for races, stating that without learning from each race and communicating incidents, it would be difficult to find the right compromise.