Bernie Ecclestone said the way Formula 1 drivers are currently penalized for on-track incidents was “many”.
TV commentators and consultants have been very critical of some of Max Verstappen's races of late, but drivers up and down the pit lane are loudly calling on the FIA to clarify the “directives” about what is acceptable and what is not.
“It's getting crazy! We could summarize the current rules in one sentence: 'don't fight or you'll find yourself in trouble'. We saw it in Mexico with the two ten-second penalties inflicted on Max,” explains the former F1 boss, present in Brazil, to RTBF.
“If you give this sanction for that, what are you going to do if something more serious happens? How many seconds will you give in that case? I think we have exceeded the limit at this level. Too clean, too methodical, it's not really racing anymore.”
However, Ecclestone has regularly criticized many aspects of Formula 1, particularly since he was ousted by the sport's new owner, Liberty Media, in 2017.
Asked if he still recognizes the F1 of the past that he managed for decades, the Briton replied: “It's like everywhere in the world, everything changes all the time. I'm not saying that the current leaders are doing a bad job, they just haven't looked hard enough at the things that should be gotten rid of and that should be to change.”
