Red Bull F1 News: Team chief criticises FIA penalty after ‘STRANGE’ Lewis Hamilton decision

Dr. Helmut Marko from Red Bull Racing in Miami — Photo: © IMAGO

Latest F1 News

Red Bull chief criticises FIA penalty after ‘STRANGE’ Hamilton decision

Sergio Perez was penalised after the Canadian Grand Prix

By Kevin McKenna.

Saturday 15 June 2024 17:00

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has hit out at F1 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 Formula 1 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.

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

Consistency called into question

Red Bull bosses deemed the car safe enough to drive back to the pits, but the Mexican driver was called to the stewards post-race, who handed him a three-place grid penalty ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Writing in his column on 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 Grand Prix 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.

"Pérez'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 F1 Helmut Marko