Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi has clarified why Ferrari was handed a fine, and not a time penalty, for the unsafe release involving Charles Leclerc at the German Grand Prix.
Earlier in the season, Red Bull released Max Verstappen into the path of Valtteri Bottas in Monaco, causing the pair to make contact, resulting in Bottas stopping again, and a five-second penalty was applied.
The penalty dropped Verstappen from second to fourth in that race.
In Germany, Ferrari was issued with a €5,000 fine for releasing Leclerc into the path of Haas’ Romain Grosjean, causing “minor contact.”
Leclerc did not face any penalty that cost him race time, though he later crashed out.
“[In] Monaco, for clarification, it was labelled an unsafe release but it was actually for causing a collision in the pit lane,” said Masi.
“So that’s why that was different to the one [in Germany], which was clearly an unsafe release.
“But part of the discussion we had with team managers the other day, knowing the conditions could be changeable, and also taking into account everyone coming into the pit lane to do tyres at the same time is going to be a factor, it is still quite clearly consistent with the previous penalties.
“The fact that every other team thereafter was out didn’t even though the fast lane is as wide as it is, didn’t allow what we saw at Silverstone with the car driving on the painted area.”
Masi also refuted suggestions that Ferrari’s fine could persuade teams in the future to accept the financial penalty in a bid to unsafely get a driver ahead of a rival through the pit phase.
“No I don’t think so,” he said when asked if it set a precedent. “I think it’s one of those… I think you’ve got to take each… I’m very much a firm believer, and the teams all agree, that you treat each case on its own merits.
“As much as you can try and group things, generally, you have to treat each and every circumstance that comes up, and judge it, so yeah I think in the end that’s pretty straightforward.
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