Ross Brawn hopes to improve fans’ understanding of stewards decisions in the wake of Sunday’s controversy at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Formula 1 fans and ex-drivers alike reacted furiously after a five-second penalty was given to Sebastian Vettel after he ran off the track and was deemed to have rejoined unsafely after pushing Lewis Hamilton towards the wall.
The German too was unafraid to show his unhappiness after the race and F1’s motorsport director offered a diplomatic reaction to what took place.
“I can understand how Vettel feels and I know Ferrari intends to appeal the decision,” Brawn said.
“I also know what a difficult job the stewards have, as they have to reach their decision in a very short time, producing a verdict that can affect the outcome of the race.
“As such, I don’t want to give an opinion on the decision because in my position it would be wrong to do so.
“I have a lot of respect for the work of the stewards and for their professionalism and I believe they would be the first to say that they would prefer not to see a race outcome decided via a penalty.”
An argument that has been made by some to defend the penalty is the race officials were simply following the letter of the las as written in the regulations.
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As a result, Brawn would like to see more openness and information given by the stewards as to how they judge incidents.
“I understand how difficult it must be for fans to understand why the driver on the top step of the podium is not the one who crossed the finish line first,” he stated.
“That’s why transparency is important when it comes to explaining the decisions of the Stewards, especially in such a complex sport as Formula 1.
“Therefore, it might be useful to work with the FIA on solutions that would allow the stewards to explain their decisions to the fans and to elaborate on how they reached them.
“Having said that, I would emphatically add is that there is nothing sinister about a decision like this,” Brawn insisted.
“You might agree with it or not, but none of those who take on the role of steward each weekend has a hidden agenda and fans can be certain of that.”
