Brawn: Penalties should be better explained

The penalty of Sebastian Vettel at the Canadian GP was the highlight of last weekend in Montreal. The five seconds inflicted on the pilot Ferrari will have allowed Lewis Hamilton to maintain the invincibility of Mercedes this season, depriving the German of a first success which has been overdue since last year's Belgian GP.

Ross Brawn did not criticize the stewards' decision but opened the debate on the need to provide clarification to the public regarding the choices made by race management.

" I can understand how Vettel feels And I know that Ferrari plans to contest the decision (of the commissioners). I also know how difficult the work of the commissioners is having to give their verdict within a short time., comments the Motor Sports director of Liberty Media. I don't want to give my opinion because it wouldn't be the right thing to do. I have a lot of respect for the work of the marshals and for their professionalism and I think they would be the first to prefer an end of the race without penalty. »

If the commissioners have additional information, the Montreal public took sides by whistling Lewis Hamilton copiously on the podium.

“I understand at the same time how difficult it must be for the public to understand why the driver on the top step of the podium is not the one who crossed the finish line first. This is why transparency is important when it is necessary to explain the decisions of the commissioners, especially in a discipline as complex as the F1. There is still debate in football despite the arrival of the video concerning hand faults in the area. »

“It could be useful to work with the FIA ​​to find solutions that would allow stewards to explain their decisions to the public. »

“That said, I would add that there is nothing sinister about a decision like this. We can agree or not, but none of the commissioners have anything to hide. The public can be sure of that”, said Ross Brawn.

Discover the analysis of the Canadian GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2220 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands this Wednesday.