Italian commentator slams VAR-style decisions in Formula 1: “You can’t race anymore”. Carlo Vanzini criticizes the stewarding in F1 after Verstappen’s penalty in Jeddah.

Max Verstappen against Oscar Piastri, the duel in Jeddah under the magnifying glass: for Carlo Vanzini, the “VAR” is damaging duels in F1. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is decided at the first corner: the McLaren driver gets a better start, pulls alongside his rival and pushes him to the outside. The Dutchman then decides to cut the chicane without giving back the position: for the stewards, it is a penalty.

The post-race in Jeddah was among the least lively of the season. The top three, exhausted from one of the toughest races on the calendar, struggled to smile. Oscar Piastri, who sometimes recalls the coldness of Kimi Raikkonen, makes a small gesture of joy. Max Verstappen, upset by the penalty he received, immediately goes to speak with Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Charles Leclerc perhaps resigns himself to a barely satisfactory result.

The Dutchman, in particular, was not at all happy with the stewards’ decision. A few hours later, Christian Horner is ready to demonstrate, with photos and screenshots, the innocence of his driver. Someone else even argues that “five seconds are too few.” However, the real point could be another: could such a strict regulation, applied like VAR in modern football, damage the beauty of racing?

The “VAR” of F1: Carlo Vanzini and the problem with duels
Carlo Vanzini also analyzes the Verstappen-Piastri case in a video shared on his YouTube channel. The Italian voice of F1 compares the stewards’ decision to VAR in football: “Once, episodes like this or like Abu Dhabi 2024 would have been considered shared blame. What saddened me is that now, you can hardly race anymore.”

“Now everything must be decided, verified and checked, a bit like since VAR came into football. You have to analyze the natural speed, at the moment… This decision disappointed me, but not for Max, Oscar or anyone in particular.”

“I reviewed the facts frame by frame: Oscar Piastri gets a better start, there is no doubt. Can it be considered that he did not complete the overtake on Verstappen? This is the evaluation made by the Federation, even though Piastri attacks the corner. Since he did not complete the overtake, he is still considered to be attacking and, at the apex of the corner, the position of the front axle compared to the car on the outside is not taken into account.”

“The guideline considered is that, whoever is on the inside, if their front axle is at least at the height of the mirrors of the defending car, can take whatever line they want. This is why Verstappen received a penalty, because he was defending from Oscar Piastri. To me, logically, it seemed the opposite: that Oscar Piastri was defending from a counterattack by Verstappen.”

“Once, drivers sorted it out on track among themselves. We don’t want the Wild West, but we have gone too far, a bit like VAR that punishes even the slightest touches. This is not my thing, even though I am always crazy about Formula 1. It’s a pity because a precedent is set, and no one will try to overtake on the outside like that anymore.”