Sergio Perez has asked the FIA to send their “most experienced” stewards for the remainder of the World Championship battle this year.
The stewards have already had to make three rulings about Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s on-track battles.
All three occurred during sprint qualifying weekends, which happened to be the same weekend. First, Hamilton was given a 10-second time penalty for colliding with his competitor at Silverstone, but he still won the British Grand Prix after his rival hit the barrier.
The only circuit where both title contenders have retired this year is Monza, where the Red Bull came to a halt partly on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes in the gravel after clipping the sausage kerb while passing into the first chicane side by side. For the following race in Russia, Verstappen received a five-place grid penalty.
The race stewards in Sao Paulo did not even consider an investigation required after Hamilton was forced wide by Verstappen, who also ran off track while attempting to pass for the lead, which he eventually claimed with a clean move 11 laps later.
However, Mercedes used their right to request a review of the incident in the hopes of triggering a Verstappen penalty, which would drop him to third place in the final Sao Paulo Grand Prix standings and cut his championship lead by three points.
As the spectacular campaign nears its conclusion with three races in the Middle East, more accidents are a likely possibility.
Given the gravity of the situation, Perez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, is hoping for the best of the FIA’s stewarding pool to be on hand in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi.
“The stewards have a very tough job to do because it’s not like football here,” said Perez during an interview with Sky F1 on the eve of the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix weekend.
“The rules are a bit open and very difficult. One steward may say one thing, another different things.
“But I think right now we should have the most experienced ones and being in their hands, there’s nothing to be concerned of.”
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