SHANGHAI, China — Formula One drivers are calling for an overhaul of the steward system after several contentious rulings at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
World champions Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso said Thursday that having an official with F1 racing experience making rulings on incidents was better than the existing system, where a panel of stewards makes the decisions.
“For sure that would help. It would keep people more happy if every time we have the same decision,” Raikkonen said. “To have an old driver would get more respect than people who don’t drive an F1.”
Added Alonso: “Sometimes the races are decided by the stewards. … It’s difficult to know from the outside if you’ve never driven a Formula One car.”
The comments came after championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren was given a pit drive-through penalty in Japan for late braking in the first corner, forcing Raikkonen off the track.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was also given a drive-through penalty for colliding with Hamilton, while Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais was penalized 25 seconds and consequently a points finish for colliding with Massa.
The Bourdais decision drew particular criticism.
Williams’ Nico Rosberg said “my personal opinion was for none of them you needed penalties — they were all just racing incidents.”
Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella, a veteran of 210 races, thinks “the system has to be a little bit better,” adding it would likely be raised in Friday’s drivers meeting.
BMW’s Nick Heidfeld urged a return to the system of a single steward across the entire season, rather than a panel of stewards that risked inconsistency.
“It was a lot more consistent and for me a lot better than what we have seen this year,” Heidfeld said. “I don’t know why we came back from that.”
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