Criticism after the chaos GP in Melbourne: “That was too much”

“I’m generally in favor of providing good entertainment. But the rules of the sport are the key DNA,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. “It was perhaps a bit too much today.” The second red flag in particular sparked a lot of criticism: after Haas driver Kevin Magnussen had an accident a few laps before the end, the race management went to another safety car phase to interrupt. Apparently because there were too many parts lying around, the FIA later explained. As a result, this decision resulted in millions of euros worth of scrap on the track, the third race being stopped and an uneventful crossing of the finish line guided by the safety car.

“Then again a red flag that I don’t understand at all,” said race winner Max Verstappen on ServusTV. “I think normally it was just a virtual safety car or a maximum safety car. That was a bit surprising.” Many drivers now have a lot of questions, said the Red Bull driver. Fernando Alonso was already cursing wildly in the cockpit of his Aston Martin. Mercedes man George Russell said the drivers had gotten through worse situations in the past without stopping. Even winner Max Verstappen had little to gain from the race management's decisions. © APA/afp / SIMON BAKER

“We should have simply finished the race under the virtual safety car,” emphasized Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko. “I think this will now turn into big discussions,” said Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg. “From a fan’s point of view, from an entertainment point of view, you can of course completely understand it. From the driver's point of view or from the team's point of view, it's sometimes frustrating." It's "a bit of that American entertainment level that comes in."

Ferrari team boss pissed off: “It’s opaque to me” Wolff made similar comments. “I'm a fan of restarts and red flags because they always give good action. I also heard from home that they liked it,” revealed the Viennese. But it was probably too much. “You have to know when to give a red flag and stop the race. I think both times it wasn't justified." You have to clearly define "what a virtual safety car is, what a safety car is and what a red flag is."

Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur complained that it took a long time to make a decision and that it was impossible to predict what the race management would do. “It’s opaque to me,” Vasseur said. The FIA had already received a lot of criticism after the turbulence at the end of the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago over a penalty against Alonso. Haas team boss Günther Steiner didn't want to accept the result and went one step further. The South Tyrolean protested against the race classification (Click here for the article).

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Criticism after the chaos GP in Melbourne: “That was too much”

Red flags, long waiting times, crossing the finish line behind the safety car: many drivers and observers were unable to understand how the race management around the main German leader Nils Wittich handled the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

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