F1 News: Lewis Hamilton 2020 Win Under The Knife - 'Strange There Was No Penalty'

In a recent outpouring of annoyance, Helmut Marko, a prominent figure at Red Bull Racing, compared the consistency of Formula 1 steward decisions regarding race penalties, particularly highlighting an incident involving Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in 2020 alongside a recent penalty against Red Bull's Sergio Perez. After the Canadian Grand Prix, Perez faced a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix due to driving his significantly damaged car back to the pits—an action that stirred controversy, especially as it echoed past instances where similar scenarios weren't equally reprimanded.

The issue surfaced following a weather-challenged Canadian Grand Prix, where late in the race, Perez's car incurred damage after he span and hit the barriers. Despite the dangerous condition of the RB20, Red Bull instructed him to drive back to the pits instead of retiring immediately, a decision meant to reduce the likelihood of a safety car to help race leader and teammate Max Verstappen./ This choice from the Milton Keynes squad led to a hefty €25,000 fine and sparked debate over the fairness of such penalties.

Marko criticized this decision harshly, arguing against the steward's judgment in his column for Speedweek.

"Three places back for Perez on the Spanish grid because he brought his damaged car into the pits instead of putting it aside in Montreal,” Marko lamented. "I think that’s too harsh a punishment, because in a race with changeover conditions, you have to bring your car back, especially when it’s not immediately clear what the damage looks like,” he added.

Despite the apparent damage, Red Bull had data indicating that Perez’s suspension was intact, and Perez was unable to see the damage at the rear of his car.

"Perez’s rear-view mirrors were dirty and he couldn’t see what the rear looked like. We, on the other hand, could see from the data that the suspension was OK,” Marko explained. He further detailed their rationale: “Of course we try to bring the car back and, ideally, be able to fight for points again. The race stewards then announced that parts of his car had fallen off.”

Marko pointed to a discrepancy by recalling the 2020 British Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton, despite finishing the race with only three wheels due to a late puncture, faced no penalty.

“I remember Lewis Hamilton once crossing the finish line on three wheels at Silverstone and winning. Strange there was no penalty then,” he remarked.

Adding to the complexity of the discussion, Marko praised Max Verstappen's performance in Canada, attributing his victory to what he called "the Verstappen factor.” He elaborated: “Victory in Montreal, thanks to the Verstappen factor, as I like to call it.” Marko continued. “Once again, Max Verstappen’s very special qualities were the deciding factor in him winning a warm race that most other drivers probably wouldn’t have won.”