The FIA’s decision to replace one of its four drivers’ advisers to the stewards has put the spotlight back on the quality of the decisions they make.
Stewarding is always going to be contentious and many high-profile calls were disputed as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’s championship fight intensified. But some of the more debatable decisions made during the course of 2024 involved drivers fighting further down the field – and one occured before the race weekend even started!
The stewards issued hundreds of decisions over the course of 2024, and while many were straightforward calls, these 10 rulings were notable for being too harsh or too lenient:
Chinese Grand Prix sprint race: Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso made a valiant defence of his third place in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. But with four laps to go Carlos Sainz Jnr finally got him, sweeping by on the inside of the long turn eight, despite the Aston Martin driver making contact on the way in.
The pair made contact again when Alonso attempted a lunge on the inside of the following corner. That left him with a race-ending puncture and Sainz’s car was damaged, leaving him fifth. Alonso was at fault but his penalty outweighed the seriousness of the error. It was by far the mildest incident which earned a driver three penalty points on their licence.
Chinese Grand Prix: Logan Sargeant
The following day Logan Sargeant received an excessively severe punishment for a minor error. He incorrectly took up a position ahead of Nico Hulkenberg behind the Safety Car after reaching the pit lane exit after the Haas driver.
From behind the wheel, Sargeant was poorly placed to know whether he had committed any infringement, and his team failed to advise him. Two penalty points for that seemed excessive, particularly as Lance Stroll received the same for crashing into Daniel Ricciardo while the field was neutralised, hitting the RB so hard it struck into Oscar Piastri’s McLaren ahead of it.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Miami Grand Prix sprint race: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton was fortunate to avoid a penalty after triggering a multi-car incident which put Lando Norris out of the Miami Grand Prix sprint race on the first lap. The Mercedes driver made a lunge for the inside of turn one and ran slightly wide, forcing the two Aston Martin drivers together and ultimately into Norris.
Although the stewards routinely take a soft line on turn one incidents, this was hard to justify in the case of Hamilton, who had clearly over-committed himself on this occasion. A mild sanction was deserved.
Spanish Grand Prix final practice: Charles Leclerc
Acts of retribution are rare in Formula 1, especially outside competitive sessions, so it was a shock to see Charles Leclerc swerving his car towards and into Norris’s after the McLaren driver briefly held him up in practice at the Circuit de Catalunya. Although it was completely out of character for Leclerc, drivers using their cars as weapons must always draw a stiff reaction, and this deserved a grid drop instead of a reprimand.
Austrian Grand Prix qualifying: Oscar Piastri
This is a controversial one. Footage of Piastri’s line at turn six during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix indicated he had ventured beyond track limits and his time was therefore disqualified, costing him a front row start.
However the same footage was not available for all other cars on their qualifying laps. Previously the FIA has refused to penalise drivers when that is the case, as in the 2023 United States Grand Prix. McLaren justifiably felt aggrieved that Piastri was penalised in a manner which appeared to contradict a recent precedent.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Austrian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen
Verstappen’s defensive moves became increasingly borderline when he came under pressure for the lead of the Austrian Grand Prix from Norris. But the stewards took no action and the pair eventually collided.
Later the FIA admitted Verstappen’s driving had been sufficient to earn him an official warning, through a black-and-white ‘unsporting conduct’ flag. Had this been shown at the right time, this significant early moment in the championship fight might have ended differently.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Sergio Perez
Two F1 cars being driven along a straight should not hit each other. Sainz was ahead and, as the stewards noted, on his usual line. Perez, behind, was the only driver with full sight of the other car and caused the collision. The lack of a penalty was a mystery.
Singapore Grand Prix: Max Verstappen
Verstappen’s penalty for swearing during an FIA press conference became a saga which continues to rumble on. If the FIA wish to enforce a ban on swearing in their conferences, that is not unreasonable, but there has been a striking absence of consistency.
Team bosses Toto Wolff and Frederic Vasseur were warned for swearing in an FIA press conference in Las Vegas in 2023. Leclerc swore in the post-race press conference in Monaco and got nothing. Verstappen was sentenced to “public work” for his comments in Singapore. Leclerc swore in Mexico and copped a fine, but when Norris did the same in Qatar no one seemed to care.
Perhaps a swear jar next to the press conference sofa would be a quick and easy fix?
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Mexican Grand Prix: Max Verstappen
Verstappen copped two penalties in the space of four corners as he fought Norris during the Mexican Grand Prix. Although both received 10-second penalties they were quite different incidents, and the stewards assessed the first one correctly, as Verstappen clearly illegitimately forced Norris off while he was being overtaken.
The second was different: Verstappen came from a ludicrous distance back at a high-speed corner where he never stood a chance of making a legitimate pass stick. Norris had to take evasive action to prevent a collision, losing a place both to the Red Bull and Leclerc’s Ferrari as they did so, which was obviously Verstappen’s intention.
Naively, the stewards ruled Verstappen left the track and “incidently [sic] forcing Norris off”. Besides the leniency of a 10-second penalty for such a cynical move, the absence of any penalty points made this one of the weakest calls of the season.
Mexican Grand Prix: Franco Colapinto
During the same race, Franco Colapinto picked up a surprisingly harsh penalty for a minor clash with Liam Lawson. The Williams driver went around the outside of the RB at turn one and was forced wide, but remained alongside his rival in turn two. They squeezed through, but Lawson’s front wing made contact with Colapinto’s right-rear wheel as he passed.
The stewards claimed Lawson left Colapinto enough room to stay on the track, but footage of the incident showed this was not the case. Colapinto had earned the right to space and if any driver deserved a penalty for the exchange it was Lawson.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
The tough-but-fair calls of 2024
F1’s stewards have an unenviable job. Despite the accusations of fans and some drivers, they do strive to make decisions that are fair, impartial and consistent. However they are wielding a complex rule book at drivers who never pass up an opportunity to claim an advantage over a rival.
There were other occasions last year when the stewards made calls which, despite the controversies they provoked, were reasonable.
One of the clearest examples occured in Australia when Alonso performed a bizarre move while trying to prevent George Russell from closing within DRS range of him. Had they not taken action against this unprecedented manoeuvre it would surely have spawned imitators with potentially dangerous consequences, given the crash Russell suffered as a result. The stewards were right to jump on it and a 20-second time penalty was the minimum it deserved.
McLaren fumed over the stewards’ penalty for Norris in the United States Grand Prix when he passed Verstappen off the track. However the stewards adhered to the driving standards guidelines which were agreed upon previously (though they may change for the upcoming season).
Finally, Verstappen was livid about the penalty he received for impeding Russell during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. This was an unusual case, but given the precedent the stewards set the day before when issuing reprimands to Perez and Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty was the mildest sanction he could have got.
Over to you
Which decisions do you think the stewards should have made differently during last season – and how? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
