Skip to content
Exclusive

F1 rules should change after Sebastian Vettel penalty - pundits

Plus watch new footage of the Vettel-Hamilton incident below

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Anthony Davidson and Johnny Herbert take a look at a new angle of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton's controversial incident at the Canadian Grand Prix

Sky F1's Nico Rosberg and Damon Hill have called for the sport's rules to be changed so close racing is not automatically punished in the wake of the Sebastian Vettel controversy.

As the fallout from the Canadian GP continues, with Ferrari challenging the stewards' verdict and preparing what they believe is fresh evidence in the case to present to the stewards in France on Friday, attention has turned to the sport's rulebook.

Former world champions Rosberg and Hill disagree about whether Vettel's penalty in Montreal was warranted - but are in consensus about what should happen next.

"I would definitely agree that that is the kind of racing that we want to see, which was awesome, so we need to change the rule," said Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, on Sky F1's Welcome to the Weekend show.

"We don't want penalties in such instances. That's exactly what we want to see, as it was great, exciting battling. However, at the moment, there is this rule, and it was very clear to me that Sebastian just didn't leave enough space in that situation, and therefore it was an unsafe return.

"Therefore, the rule is there, and the penalty was justified."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg believes that Sebastian Vettel's 5-second penalty was justified, but the wording of the rules need to be looked at to avoid future controversy

Rosberg added: "We need to make the rule a lot more lenient, that's clearly the case, because this is the type of racing we all want to see. It needs to be modified, I'm not sure how the wording has to change, but it definitely needs to change.

Also See:

"It's what every racing viewer wants to see, but of course, everything has a limit and we've got a couple of nut-cases out there, so there has to be a rule to put a limit on what can be allowed, of course."

How to follow F1 2019 with Sky F1
How to follow F1 2019 with Sky F1

On TV, Online, On Demand and on the go: All the ways you can watch every Formula 1 race weekend on Sky Sports F1 this year...

Hill believes the stewards should have licence to effectively say 'play on' and let drivers settle battles themselves on track.

"I think they have the option to let it be," said Hill, a title winner in 1996. "They can look at a situation like that and say, 'we understand we have a rule for an unsafe return to the track, and we can apply it if we want to. I think they were slightly pushed into considering it by Lewis coming onto the radio.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sky F1's Simon Lazenby and Martin Brundle assess the big talking points heading into the French GP weekend

"We have got a responsibility to the show as racing drivers, and also the fans. We've got a responsibility to show we're the best racing drivers and so people are satisfied when they go home."

Fellow Sky F1 pundit Paul Di Resta agreed: "Going by some of the epic battles we have seen throughout motorsport, that was well within the limits of what is acceptable. That's what the fans want to see, they want to see the drivers racing closely."

Sky Sports F1 is the home of live and exclusive F1. Find out more here to watch the 2019 season live

Exclusive

Around Sky