Helmut Marco criticized Formula 1 stewards for inconsistency following a penalty from Max Verstappen at the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Verstappen was hit with a five-second penalty after Steward thought he had left the track and gained advantages when fighting Turn 1 on the opening lap of the race with Oscar Piastri.
Piastri got off to a better start than Verstappen, and was ahead at the top of the corner.
Verstappen brakes late and cuts the corners to maintain position.
He didn’t abandon the place, so the steward gave him a five-second penalty. This is a decision that compromised his race and his chances of winning the race.
Marco was not impressed with the decision and was not punished for referring to similar cases in support races such as Formula 2.
Speaking to Sky Germany, Marco said: “I think the race was lost at first. In fact, where is Max going? We saw the Formula 2 race.
“They were just given warnings, so in our view, the five-second penalty was a bit harsh. Steward’s contradictions are hard to understand.
“Piastry was ahead at first, but in the final brake zone, Max was a little ahead again, but that’s true.”
Verstappen pace “Give us confidence”
Despite the penalty, Verstappen finished second within three seconds of final race winner Piastri.
It was a strong performance from Verstappen. This was a week since the nightmare Bahrain Grampurin.
In Bahrain, Verstappen finished his sixth low and chased Alpine’s Pierre Guthrie on the final lap of the race.
Their lack of pace led to a “crisis meeting” after a race between the advanced Red Bull players.
As a result, the lead to this weekend in Saudi Arabia centered around Verstappen’s future amid the poor form of Red Bull.
Marco believes Verstappen’s pace will drive Red Bull’s confidence forward.
“You could see that – he got a 3-second gap early on. Piastri was already complaining about the tire deterioration. When you’re following another car, it’s always difficult,” Marco added. “And in our second stint on hard tyres, when Max was really pushed to the limit, we closed again.
“If we said we’d finish second on Friday, we celebrated. But the car changes were so effective that we’ve clearly settled a bit to not bring about a victory. Still, we showed that speed and tire wear is under control – it gives us confidence.”