Williams team principal James Vowles has raised concerns over Formula 1 regulations following a controversial incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on lap 52, turn 12 of United States Grand Prixwhich saw Norris given a 5 second penalty. Vowles questioned the clarity of the current rules and highlighted uncertainty over how similar incidents will be handled in the future, emphasizing the need for greater consistency in enforcement.

Norris received a penalty for overtaking Verstappen while exceeding track limits. The incident happened as he tried to pass Verstappen using the outside line on the left side. However, both cars ended up in the runoff zone. Despite this decision allowing Norris to cross the finish line in third place, the penalty for not respecting track limits ultimately dropped him to fourth place, thus reversing his position gain.

The Dutchman did not receive a penalty, although he would have crossed the white line during the close encounter. The FIA ​​has been criticized by McLaren and several others for inconsistent decisions, as many other drivers involved in similar incidents received no penalties.

Meanwhile, Verstappen’s exploitation of gray areas in Formula 1’s rules has come to light, especially after the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton opened up, claiming he fell victim to it in 2021, the year Verstappen’s rivalry with the Mercedes driver peaked in the premier class. Speaking that same year, Vowles told Sky Germany, as cited by GPfans.com:

“If we look at the 2021 season, something similar happened with Max. Max is always testing the limits of the rules, but he’s always testing the limits. I think the biggest discussion for me is whether we want this in our sport or Do we want it to be a little more cushioned like before?

“The fact is that Max went off track and braked late to keep his car in front, but overtaking maneuvers like this have been done like this for a while now, especially on his part. In this particular case, I think that the stewards made “It’s the right decision, that’s my opinion, but the biggest question we have to ask ourselves is: do we want racing to be like this in the future?”

He added:

“It’s like pushing someone off the track and then not being able to take the corner, it’s just not the right way. That’s my opinion, you can’t be next to the car, you can be in front when braking, and then both.” the cars move aside. We don’t want to see this kind of racing.

When asked if he thought no one should have been punished, Vowles replied:

“Yes, but the rules are as they are now. The question is how we will proceed in the future.

“It’s not as clear as it should be, so it will need to be changed in the future.”