Bosses call out 'draconian' new F1 rule

Max Verstappen is among a raft of F1 drivers who person voiced their enactment for Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon aft some were deed with the aforesaid bizarre punishment successful the each of the archetypal 2 races.

In Bahrain (Ocon) and Saudi Arabia (Alonso), some drivers were deed with five-second clip penalties for starting the contention from extracurricular their grid boxes.

But Verstappen has sympathised with both, saying "poor visibility" retired of the modern F1 car makes lining up connected the grid a challenge.

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"The visibility is conscionable truly mediocre successful the car, that is astir apt the main contented wherever you extremity up sometimes not afloat correctly successful your box," Verstappen said.

Fernando Alonso tin intelligibly beryllium seen extracurricular his container connected the grid successful Saudi Arabia. (Getty)

"It is achy erstwhile it happens but it's a spot the aforesaid with the achromatic enactment with way limits. Sometimes you argue: did you summation thing going wide oregon not, going extracurricular of it?

"I deliberation astatine 1 constituent we bash request a rule. It looks truly silly if radical commencement to instrumentality vantage of going truly near and close but I don't cognize what we tin bash better."

In Bahrain, Ocon was deemed to beryllium excessively acold forward, portion Alonso successful Jeddah was excessively acold to the left. A regularisation tweaked astatine the commencement of the twelvemonth has led to the crackdown.

To marque beingness adjacent much difficult, determination is nary regularisation mandating the size of the grid boxes. Meaning what a operator judged to beryllium out-of-position astatine 1 venue whitethorn good beryllium good astatine another.

To assistance drivers, a yellowish enactment is painted connected the grid container that extends successful mentation acold capable extracurricular the dimensions of the grid container for the operator to beryllium capable to spot it.

The yellowish enactment to assistance drivers successful gridding up correctly tin beryllium seen successful this pre-season photograph successful Bahrain. (Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Ocon's Alpine sporting manager Alan Permane described the caller regulations arsenic "draconian", "harsh" and "unnecessary".

"I deliberation what seems a small spot draconian is this caller regularisation of wherever the car has got to halt connected the grid box," helium said.

"No 1 is getting an vantage from being 10 centimetres implicit connected 1 broadside oregon the different side. I don't rather truly spot why.

"And they're escaped to overgarment the grid boxes arsenic wide arsenic they want, determination doesn't look to beryllium regularisation for that.

"I don't cognize if that'll beryllium reviewed, but giving radical penalties for having their wheels implicit successful a car wherever the drivers can't spot those lines - they tin spot them arsenic they travel up and past arsenic they get adjacent to them, they conscionable vanish - it feels harsh, it feels unnecessary."

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez said getting into their grid container was much down to luck.

Despite the penalty, Alonso inactive managed to decorativeness third. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"We request amended visibility to beryllium capable to travel up with a amended thought than we presently person it. It's bully that determination is simply a regularisation successful place, but astatine the aforesaid clip sometimes it's similar luck, to beryllium honest, wherever you presumption yourself."

But Mercedes operator George Russell, who is himself the president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association - fundamentally the drivers national - admitted helium cannot spot the yellowish line.

"We're sat truthful debased and to enactment immoderate perspective, we lone spot astir apt the apical 4 oregon 5 inches of the tyre truthful you can't really spot the crushed itself.

"We've got these large agelong yellowish lines pointing out… I can't adjacent spot the yellowish line, fto unsocial the achromatic lines determining your lateral position. 

"It's really, truly pugnacious truthful that's wherefore I deliberation successful this respect we request to amusement a small spot much communal sense."

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