F1’s 'biggest issue' in Qatar revealed

Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur believes that F1's track limits controversy was the biggest issue of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.

Several drivers commented that they expected track limits to be a major sticking point ahead of the three days of running.

A number of lap times were deleted during qualifying as drivers placed all four wheels over the white lines and it remained an issue during the race with a number of drivers receiving time penalties - including Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly who racked up 15 seconds worth of penalties each.

Perez lashed out over how FIA officials dealt with track limits, taking issue with the circuit being narrowed at Turns 12, 13 and 14 due to concerns regarding the kerbs and the reaction of the tyres and having little time to get accustomed to it.

Vasseur's track limit issue

But speaking to media including RacingNews365.com amid controversy over the tyres as a maximum of 18 laps-per-tyre set was enforced, Vasseur insisted: "For me, the situation about the tyres is one thing, but I would say that the biggest issue for me of the weekend is track limits.

“You know when you are going to Spielberg that you will have issues with track limits and we had issues with track limits.

“You get the results two hours after the race. When we came before the weekend, we told them exactly the same ‘it will be the festival’ - and it was a festival.

“On top of this, I think the drivers perhaps lost a little bit of concentration at the end. Some guys, the last 10 laps, they were doing strikes every single lap.

“You can’t blame them for this situation, we have to find a solution.

“It’s not even good for the show. At least on the pit wall, you have the number of strikes, you can follow the story, you know where you are and so on.

"But I’m thinking about the guys who are in front of their TV. They don’t have the story about the strikes, and at one stage they see Gasly five seconds [penalty], Gasly ten seconds, Gasly 15 seconds.

“We have to think also about this, I think that we can anticipate this kind of issue.”