Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that the FIA is revising its rules on fines regarding Formula 1 teams’ protests to avoid a repeat of Red Bull’s recent “unnecessary” contesting of results.
The German marque’s driver George Russell has been the subject of two protestations by the Milton Keynes-based squad this year.
In Miami, the team objected to Russell’s apparent failure to sufficiently slow down during a waved yellow flag period.
And last time out in Canada, it challenged Russell’s victory, citing erratic driving under the Safety Car, which momentarily caused Max Verstappen to overtake him, alleging that he subsequently failed to keep within 10 car lengths of the Safety Car.
At the premiere of ‘F1: The Movie’ the day after the race in Montreal, Wolff called the Milton Keynes-based squad as “petty”, describing the protest as “embarrassing”.
Ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff reiterated his belief the team’s protest was unnecessary, and that it had wasted a considerable amount of time.
“Well, I think it’s absolutely legitimate to protest,” he said. “We are fighting for race wins and championships. And if you have the opinion that what you’ve seen is not right, then you should protest.
“But some of these actions are just really not real. You know, protesting something that you call unsportsmanlike behaviour, a long shot, or you’re protesting a car not leaving ten car lengths between himself and the Safety Car – well, he still needs to respect the delta.
“So, there are things that, from my perspective, are legit to protest and others that are just a little bit of a too long shot.
“And then you’re waiting two hours until you actually protest because you need to figure out on what to base it.
“You take one protest back suddenly, and then we’re all there five hours. Everybody misses planes going home, and we end up with a result that was a little bit predictable.
“That’s something that I thought was not necessary.”
Wolff: Put in a fine that is ‘a little bit of an embarrassment’
Christian Horner voiced his belief that every team’s €2,000-priced protest is “within a competitor’s right”, voicing his surprise Russell’s driving hadn’t been flagged already.
Russell himself said that the fee, comparatively small by the standards of an F1 team, saying it is “not even a consideration”.
Wolff said that “no one is a fan of higher fines,” adding that FIA’s president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is supposedly looking into a change in the rules to prevent frivolous usage of the right to protest.
“It’s a lot of money, and in Formula 1 we need to be careful that we are still being perceived as not over the top in relation to the normal world,” he said.
“But in that instance, absolutely put in a fine, and I think the President of the FIA is working on that.
“Put in a fine that, at least if you lose it, is a little bit of an embarrassment that you lost so much money, and you’re going to think twice whether you do it. I think this is along the lines the FIA are thinking.”
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