Guenther Steiner criticized the delay of the Formula 1 stewards in analyzing incidents after the Miami GP. The former team principal stated that the process needs to be more agile and advocated for the creation of a time limit for the definition of penalties.
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After the race in Miami, several investigations were still ongoing, including cases involving George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc. Verstappen ended up receiving a five-second penalty, with no impact on his final result, while Leclerc took a drive-through converted into 20 seconds, dropping to eighth position.
Steiner stated that the stewards should focus exclusively on analyses during the race. “We need to decide this after the race, but I think there needs to be a time limit. If you don’t know, then don’t give a penalty,” he said on The Red Flag Podcast.
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The Italian also questioned the officials’ performance throughout the race. “What are they doing during the race? Because I think the stewards are not there to watch the race. They are there to make decisions about things that went wrong,” he highlighted. “They should stop to analyze the situation, process what happened, make a decision and move on, not keep watching.”
For Steiner, some cases are simple to judge, like the incident involving Verstappen. “The team still has the chance to protest afterwards. But, in the end, you crossed the white line or not. It’s not like an incident between Gasly and Lawson. It’s something objective. Before, after, or in three days, it will be the same image,” he concluded.
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