Nicholas Latifi has criticised the stewards for their slow response to drivers cutting the Rettifilo chicane on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix. The Williams driver started from 10th place following a number of penalties issued to drivers for taking power unit components, but dropped to 14th after the Haas of Kevin Magnussen cut the corner without taking to the escape road. "I just got really compromised in the first corner, just got sandwiched between cars and tried to avoid getting crushed into," he told media, including RacingNews365.com . "Then there was a few cars, I think one of the Haas [cars], cut the corner with no consequence at all. "He was behind me at the first corner and then he exited to a few places in front of me so yeah, I think the stewards were a bit asleep there because it was multiple laps and didn't do anything."
Setback cost Latifi
Even though Magnussen was given a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, Latifi believes the laps spent behind the Haas was a setback for his progress in the early stages of the race. He added: "That first lap and then being stuck behind the Haas, which in clean air I think I was quicker than, but problem is we have no grip through the corners. "I mean they're pulling like a second through the corners and we gain maybe some of it in the back straights. "The race is over really pretty much after the first corner because then you're the first out-of-position car that all the leaders come through, and [then] not the leaders but the cars that are gonna come through, the Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, you just lose two seconds each time."
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