Max Verstappen demands F1 rule change after Lewis Hamilton punished

03 January 2024 , 18:48

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Max Verstappen wants parc ferme rules changed after Lewis Hamilton was punished in Austin last year (Image: Getty Images)

Max Verstappen wants Formula 1 rules changed after two of his biggest rivals were punished last year.

FIA officials found too much plank wear on the underneath of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's cars after the United States Grand Prix. As a result, they were disqualified and stripped of the points they thought they had won.

Excessive plank wear is an indicator that a car is being run too low to the ground. But in this case, the fact the Circuit of the Americas track is particularly bumpy and the use of the Sprint format that weekend were significant factors.

Parc ferme rules meant teams were stuck with their set-ups after just one practice session on Friday. And so even though a potential issue was spotted after qualifying, Mercedes and Ferrari were powerless to do anything about it without triggering a pit lane start for their drivers.

Verstappen is not convinced this rule is fair. Even though he did not fall foul of it and benefitted from his rivals losing their results and points, the Red Bull racer feels parc ferme rules need to be tweaked to avoid repeats in the future.

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"After the first practice, you're locked in," the Dutchman told Auto Motor und Sport. "If you went even slightly the wrong way in FP1, you're stuck with that setup for the rest of the Sprint weekend. That really sucks.

"We've had some really good Sprint weekends this year, but I wasn't completely satisfied. Take the ride height in Austin - Mercedes and Ferrari didn't set their cars too low on purpose.

"But once you take the wrong turn [in terms of setup], there is no turning back. At most, you can force something with the tire pressure. But if those prescribed values are already very high, then you've been seen. If you want to continue having Sprints, you have to make changes in my opinion."

Verstappen suggested it might be a good idea to have two separate parc ferme periods for a Sprint weekend, one for the Sprint action and another for the main Grand Prix. But he also made it clear he is very much against the idea of changing the qualifying format to just one single lap.

He added: "That would be a bit risky. I already don't like the current [tyre] format with that mandatory medium-medium-soft tire selection. We already don't know what's wise - one fast lap, or still a fast lap, followed by a cool-down lap and another fast lap? Even I can't keep track of exactly what the rules are anymore, which makes me feel lost. It's like a circus."

Daniel Moxon