Lewis Hamilton calls for F1 stewarding changes as Max Verstappen avoids penalty

23 September 2023 , 12:58

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Lewis Hamilton wants to see AI used in F1 stewarding (Image: Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton called upon the FIA to use artificial intelligence to help with Formula 1 penalty decisions.

The Brit said he would like to see if the use of technology would help the stewards to "do a better job" in that regard. It comes after Max Verstappen got away with what had looked like a textbook case of impeding on track last weekend in Singapore.

The Dutchman was investigated for three separate offences from qualifying but avoided a grid penalty in all of them. Instead, he was reprimanded twice and his Red Bull team fined for not informing their driver that Yuki Tsunoda was behind him over the radio.

But several team representatives were not pleased with the outcome. They had gone to the stewards to voice their dissatisfaction with the lack of a penalty, particularly from that Tsunoda incident.

Speaking to team managers at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, the FIA admitted that it had got the decision wrong. It was also conceded that the lack of communication from Red Bull to Verstappen should not have been used in mitigation to support the Dutchman's case.

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Clearly, though, those admissions were not enough to appease Hamilton. Asked by reporters at Suzuka whether he was happy to receive more clarity about the incident, he replied: "Not really.

"How many years have we... That rule has been the same for ages, you know? I think we need to start looking into AI for this sort of thing, so we get good decisions. I would like to see whether AI could do a better job or not."

His team-mate George Russell added: "It was definitely a bit strange to see even Max got away with those reprimands last week. We obviously always look for consistency. We appreciate it's not easy in the best of times, but last week was obviously a bit of a slam dunk. So it was strange why it didn't happen."

Another proposed reform for the stewards has been to abolish the current rotation system and have a set panel which adjudicates on every race. Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is among those to have suggested that idea in the past, asserting that it would lead to more consistency in decision-making.

However, Steiner landed himself in hot water with those same stewards after describing them as "laymen" when making his point. "I explained to the stewards that I had not intended to offend anyone," he later said, adding that he had also apologised, but it was not enough to avoid an official reprimand.

Daniel Moxon