Red Bull F1 chief Helmut Marko slams FIA punishment after ‘STRANGE’ Lewis Hamilton decision

Lewis Hamilton and the FIA flag — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull chief slams FIA punishment after ‘STRANGE’ Hamilton decision

Sergio Perez was penalised after the Canadian Grand Prix

Kevin McKenna

Saturday 15 June 2024 19:57

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has hit out at Formula 1 bosses over a penalty handed out to one of his team's star drivers.

Speaking after the Canadian Grand Prix, the 81-year-old also questioned why seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was not previously punished for a similar offence.

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Montreal played host to one of the most exciting races of the 2024 season, as Max Verstappen clinched the victory in wet conditions.

Five drivers failed to finish Sunday's showpiece event, including Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Verstappen's team-mate, Sergio Perez, also crashed out in the closing stages after hitting the barrier and damaging his rear wing.

Sergio Perez was handed a three-place grid penalty after the incident in Canada

Lewis Hamilton escaped punishment following his 2020 British Grand Prix win

FIA consistency called into question

Red Bull bosses deemed the car safe enough to drive back to the pits, but the Mexican driver was called up to the stewards post-race, and was handed a three-place grid penalty for next week's Spanish GP.

Writing in his column for Speedweek.com, Marko made reference to an incident involving Hamilton in 2020, when the Mercedes star escaped punishment after driving the final lap of the British GP on three wheels to clinch a remarkable win.

Questioning the perceived lack of consistency, the Austrian wrote: "I think that's too harsh a punishment [for Perez], because in a race with changeover conditions you have to bring your racing car back, especially when it's not immediately clear what the damage looks like.

"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, so 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, but hey there!

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

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Helmut Marko Canadian Grand Prix