Australian Formula 1 race commissioner Gary Conline remembers the penalty for Max Verstappen after the US Grand Prix in Texas in 2017: “I became an enemy of the state in the Netherlands.”
In Formula 1 the highs and lows are close together. When the USA GP’s flagged flag fell in Texas 2017, Max Verstappen was happy about his legendary maneuver against Kimi Raikkonen on the radio: “It was fun!” The Red Bull Racing driver moved up from the grid in 3rd place to 16th. But the race stewards took no pity: they found that Max had an unfair advantage in an attack on Kimi Raikkonen shortly before the race was over next to the track. He harassed the Dutchman for five seconds, so moved to rank 3. Verstepen was moved to fourth place behind Kimi Raikkonen.
In the paddock, opinions varied widely. Former GP driver Martin Brundle said: “There are reasons why the slope is limited. There is nothing against great maneuvers, and that was one thing, but Verstappen was just off track. “
Red Bull Racing Team boss Christian Horner said: “We had cars next to the car until the afternoon and there was no penalty. I think it’s incredibly tough against Max. It was no more than a tough but fair game. This decision of the commissioners is a misconception. “
The four race stewards at the time were Australian Gary Conline, Finn Mika Salo, Czech Radovan Novak and American Dennis Dean.
Conlyly spoke in 2017 during an FIA video conference of race stewers about the events in Texas. Connectley reported: “Whenever we make a decision, we have to be aware – that kind of decision goes beyond the competition, my colleagues and I felt it back then in Texas.”
«Shortly before the end of the race, Max took Kimi by surprise with a wonderful maneuver. We were accompanied by former GP driver Mika Salo at the time, who can well assess maneuvers on the track. He immediately told us: ‘It was a spectacular attack, but Verstappen was three feet off the track. He left the runway to be able to overtake. ” »
“So we saw it in repetition and the situation was clear. Radovan, Micah, Dennis and I then made the difficult decision to take the podium away from Max. You can hardly imagine the reactions! Suddenly, like my colleagues in the Netherlands, I was an enemy of the state. All Verstappen and Red Bull Racing supporters went on the barricade. And other Formula 1 fans were offended by those who thought we acted improperly in the interests of the game. “
“The truth is: if Max had used the route as normal, he could not back down from Kimmy. The rule to derail and gain illegal profits is unbreakable.”
Despite much criticism, Conline reworked: «I believe we did the right thing, even though it created such a huge stir. And I am confident that if we spoke to Verstappen today, he too would judge in retaliation that we could not have acted otherwise. “
Provisional formula 1 calendar 2021
Presentations
15. Farruer: McLaren (Woking)
19 February: Alphatauri (Internet)
22 February: Alfa Romeo in Warsaw
2 March: Mercedes (Internet)
March 5: Williams (Internet)
Winter trial
12-14 March in Bahrain
weather
March 28: Sakhir, Bahrain
18. April: Imola, Italian
May 2: venue open
09. May: Barcelona, Spain
23. Never: Monte Carlo, Monaco
June 6: Baku, Azerbaijan
13. June: Montreal, Canada
27 June: Le Castellet, France
4 July: Spielberg, Austria
18 July: Silverstone, Great Britain
August 01: Budapest, Hungary
29 August: Spa, Belgium
5 September: Zandovort, Netherlands
12. September: Monza, Italian
26 September: Sochi, Russia
03 October: Singapore, Singapore
October 10: Suzuka, Japan
October 24: Austin, USA
October 31: Mexico City, Mexico
07. November: Sao Paulo, Brasilin
21. November: Melbourne, Australian
5 December: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
12. Dezember: Yes Marina, Abu Dhabi
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