The actions of some drivers during the race at Silverstone caused eyes to turn towards the FIA stewards, as the maneuvers appeared to be close to or over the limit. On several occasions, some went from side to side on the track to try to overtake, even going off the track or on the outside, as happened with Max Verstappen and Mick Schumacher or with Sergio Pérez when cutting a curve and still having won. a square.
Certain members of the grid, including Fernando Alonso, who was harmed by a decision by the international federation at the end of the appointment in Canada for considering his dangerous defensive movements, have said that they want more clarity from the race director before of the Austrian Grand Prix to find out what is allowed and what is not.
However, Charles Leclerc, who saw him overtaken by Lewis Hamilton at the first start and by Verstappen at the restart, reckons there was nothing wrong with the way his rivals battled it out.
“I don’t think there was anything off limits,” he said. “Obviously it was a tough race, but I enjoyed it again, you can have rules for every situation, but then it becomes a mess, and sometimes you just have to let the show flow.”
“I think we managed the situation well. It was very, very complicated, and we all played with the limits a bit, probably me the first, because I was in a pretty screwed up situation,” acknowledged the Ferrari man. “But I tried to do my best, and it was fun.”
Lewis Hamilton , who was affected by Pérez’s maneuver in the fight for second place in the final laps, also did not see any reason for complaint: “For me, it is clear, and I think the competition between us was great”.
“I would have done exactly the same thing, for example, as Checo [Pérez], it was a good race,” said the Englishman, who, however, believes that there should be a little more clarity about obtaining an advantage by going off the track and zigzag.
“I’ve seen a video of the moment when I overtook [Pérez and Leclerc], and I think that Checo went off the track and gained the advantage. In those scenarios, I think that, as drivers, we ask that things be black or white, that you can do this or that, that doesn’t depend on something,” he said.
“One of the things we talk about is the movement when you defend, it has always been said that you can only change direction once, not several,” said the Mercedes man. “We have to keep working to be consistent, but I think the competition has been very good.”
“I don’t think there is anything really bad to take away from the weekend, we are still stronger in terms of how the rules are applied and clarity,” said the seven-time champion.
For his part, Sebastian Vettel said that, ultimately, the drivers should take responsibility for whether they have been fair to their rival or not: “We must be the best judges, and if we push someone and we know it is too much, we should be prepared to receive a sanction.
“Maybe sometimes they [the FIA] don’t see it, and it shouldn’t happen, but it happens. As long as it’s fair, even if it’s tough and with the elbows out, it’s fine,” said the German Aston Martin driver.
Additional reporting by Luke Smith and Adam Cooper
