Laurent Mekies calls the reinstated third place of Isack Hadjar in Monaco ‘important for the sport’. In Sky Sports, the Red Bull team principal told Martin Brundle that it is important that teams do not start doubting the way speed in the pit lane is controlled.
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“First of all, we are very happy for Isack that his podium place was reinstated,” concludes the Frenchman. “We filed this protest not only for him, but also for the sport.”
“We had the idea that many cars followed the rules, but that some also drove too fast in the pits. Some of them served their time penalty during the pit stop, but others did not. It is important that we find a consistent way in this.”
No danger
When Brundle asked about the possible danger that results could be changed after the checkered flag, Mekies immediately dismissed this idea. “I actually think it works the other way around. I think it prevents a habit where teams challenge decisions after the race that are actually non-negotiable. It is a good development and the intention is that the final standing you see first is also the definitive result.”
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Mekies emphasizes again that a race should not be decided after the last lap. “There are several reasons why penalties are given during a race. If there is a collision or if someone goes too fast in the pit lane, these are examples. We base our strategy during such a race on penalties around us. We knew that Pierre Gasly was driving ahead of us and we also knew that his penalty was non-negotiable.”
“This is good for the sport and good for the fans,” Mekies concludes. “We now have more and more confidence, also for this weekend, that we see the final result as soon as the flag has fallen.”
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