How Formula 1 just showed safety isn’t the main concern

Two ridiculous penalties from this past weekend for safety infractions prove that safety isn’t really Formula 1’s primary concern when it comes to such matters.

A chaotic race weekend at Baku City Circuit saw three drivers who had not yet stood on the podium in the 2021 Formula 1 season finish in the top three.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez led the way with his first win for the Milton Keynes-based team after teammate Max Verstappen crashed from the lead due to a tire issue with just over five laps remaining and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton went off course while trying to take the lead away from Perez on the restart with two laps remaining.

Perez won ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in second place and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in third.

But things were less smooth for a few other drivers, even other than championship rivals Verstappen and Hamilton, and not on the competition front.

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Two drivers picked up three penalty points on their licenses due to supposed safety infractions from this past weekend at the 20-turn, 3.73-mile (6.003-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Azadliq Square, Baku, Azerbaijan.

Those two drivers were McLaren’s Lando Norris, who ran his point-scoring streak to a series-best 11 with a fifth place finish, and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, who finished in 16th. Both penalties were quite absurd and, quite frankly, illustrate that the key interest of those issuing the penalties is not actually safety.

This isn’t to say that safety isn’t a priority. There is no doubt that safety is the top priority of the FIA. But that’s really a completely separate issue; this situation is a clear case of making poor decisions under the guise of “safety concerns” when safety isn’t the true focus of these particular situations.

During the first of three rounds of qualifying for the race, Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi crashed into the turn 15 barriers, causing a red flag. Norris, who advanced to the second and then the third and final round of qualifying, continued on track under red flag conditions rather than returning to the pits.

But it was not as if that was his intention. He approached the tight pit entry, which many consider to be the most dangerous in the sport, at full speed and asked his team on the radio whether or not he should come into the pits or stay out.

He was told to come in, but it was too late by that point, and he ended up running another lap before returning to the pits. Norris even lifted the throttle and brake, and his ensuing lap around the track was not run at full speed.

So in addition to the three-position grid penalty he was issued, is that really worth three penalty points?

As for Latifi’s infraction, he was told to “stay out” after Verstappen crashed late in the race — six times, in fact. So he stayed out on the track.

The problem is that the team meant that he needed to simply come into the pit lane and “stay out” of the actual pit stall, since that is where the remaining drivers were to pass through to avoid the part of the track where Verstappen’s crash was being cleaned up.

The command was followed by the words “into the pit lane but no pit stop” as Latifi questioned the call, but that happened as he passed the recovery truck at the scene of the accident, to which the team replied “Sorry, sorry” on the radio.

So in addition to the 30-second time penalty he was issued, is that really worth three penalty points?

Obviously having a goal of “sending a message” isn’t a bad idea for the FIA when it comes to safety.

But in circumstances such as these, what message are they actually sending by throwing the book at two drivers who were thrown into precarious situations that they tried their best to manage and didn’t truly have control over?

They’re being penalized in the name of “safety”, but neither one of them was in a position where you can say “Yes, they absolutely could have done something differently, given what they knew, and their actions endangered the lives of other individuals.”

Driving a Formula 1 car at full speed, or even a reduced speed, you don’t always have time to react, and you don’t have seven or eight or 22 screens in front of you to know what is going on at all times.

Bottom line, as much as safety is a top priority for the FIA, these two three-point license penalties have nothing to do with safety concerns.

Norris now leads all active drivers with eight penalty points, bringing him to within four points of an automatic one-race ban. Latifi’s three penalty points are his only three.