Guenther Steiner has voiced strong criticism against the stewards at the Miami Grand Prix, urging the introduction of a clear time limit for issuing post-race penalties.
Guenther Steiner
Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images
Steiner argued that the delays in handing out penalties are unacceptable, noting that several incidents were under investigation long after the race had concluded at the Hard Rock Stadium. The cases included Max Verstappen for allegedly crossing the white line at pit exit, Verstappen and George Russell for a collision, Charles Leclerc and Russell for contact on the final lap, Leclerc for leaving the track multiple times on the last lap and gaining an advantage, as well as Leclerc for driving an unsafe car.
Verdicts only began to emerge roughly two and a half hours after the chequered flag. Most drivers escaped sanctions, but Leclerc received a 20-second penalty that dropped him to eighth place.
“The stewards—because I was already sitting on the airplane heading home when I heard that penalties were still being issued,” Steiner explained on *The Red Flags Podcast*. “So I’m thinking, we need to decide after the race, but there should be a time limit. If you don’t know, guess what? Don’t give a penalty.”
“What are they doing during the race? I think the stewards aren’t there to watch the race. They’re there to make decisions on things that went wrong,” he added.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Photo by: Andy Hone / LAT Images via Getty Images
“So I think they should shut the race down and tell the stewards, ‘Analyze this, process this scene, work on it, make a decision, and move on’—not watch. I mean, watching the race shouldn’t be part of their job,” Steiner continued.
He also remarked on the white-line violation: “Crossing a white line—what do you need to litigate? Either it is on or off. You have cameras, and the team can still protest. But in the end, you either crossed the line or not. It’s not like an incident with Gasly and Lawson. It’s either over or not. Before, after, in three days, it will be the same picture.”