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As a person who has watched formula 1 now for nearly 25 years. (1994 season) I have noticed the decline in the fia and the stance of severity of penalties. Which now I question is a penalty actually a penalty.
Some things that I note from the past.
Brazil 94. Eddie Irvine has a 1 race ban increased too 3 races after his crash with Martin brundle and jos verstappen.
Silverstone 94. Michael Schumacher disqualified for overtaking Damon hill on the formation lap of the British grand prix. Then receiving a 2 race ban for the actions.
Monaco 91. Martin brundle disqualified from the Monaco grand prix for failing too go to the weigh bridge when instructed in qualifying.
Belgium 95. Damon hill receives a 10 second stop go penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Now we see penalties that would not have been given to drivers that alot of us may well agree that are harsh. With the fia giving the power for 5 second time penalties or 10 second time penalties.
When was the last time you saw a stop go penalty and a time penalty given instead when you would see a stop go penalty given instead back in the day.

Some of the best racing was in the 90s and early 2000s. The racing was hard. It was fair and it was tough racing.

Sebastian vettel is lucky. By all rights. He was not listening too a fia official. Broke the scales and if you went back 5 years. He would of been disqualified from qualifying. And go back 10 or 15 years ago. He would of been disqualified from the event.

In the same instance. McLaren were lucky in regards too spygate. £100 million euro fine or whatever it was. There would of been a time when the McLaren would of been kicked out of the championship for the year for that infraction. Just look at Tyrrell in 84 over the water tank. They finished 2nd at Dallas. And when their infraction happened. Not only kicked out of the race but disqualified from the whole season and could not race for the rest of the year.

So my question is. Have the fia gone soft. Why do many of us have more feeling that you can get away with more now than you could ever do back in the late 80s. 90s and early 00s.

Yes and no.

The most lenient penalty until recently was a drive through penalty, which was compete over kill for most things. I remember Prost getting a drive through for missing the chicane at the 93 German GP when avoiding a car spun in the track. He lost time doing so, it was ridiculous.

The 5 second penalty is a great addition

Please explain how that drive thru penalty would of happened in 93. Because as I understood the rules pre sennas death. The pit lane could be taken at racing speeds I know they used too have the stop go area they used too have until I think it was 96. But I have not heard of the drive thru penalty in the 93 season. I thought drive thru penalties only came into formula 1 in the mid 00's

My bad, it was a stop go. Which lost you about the same amount of time as a modern drive through with speed limit

Why going back only 10-15 years? Go back even more to 70's and 80's and everybody would just laugh to what Vettel did, specially as the official was slow as a snail. Penalties were very rare and usually much fairer.

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The FIA is all over the place. Sometimes they lack consistency, sometimes they are too soft, too harsh. They don't seem to get it right.

I think Mosley ran the FIA with a bit more of an iron grip. Same as Balestre. Would Vatanen have been better in that respect instead of Todt?

In terms of Vettel breaking the Scale… it's pretty overblown and he was dealing with not one but TWO officials telling him different things, and he was listening to the right person while the other person was telling him something different which was unnecessarily costing him precious time. And while he was signaling to the official to hurry up, he didn't go until he was told and the scale broke rather EASILY!!!

It was a pretty shoddy piece of equipment that appears to NOT be up to the job in any capacity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vSV8CAEAa0

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Watching it from that angle, I see it could have potentially been a dangerous situation. The scales shot back when he drove over them under power. If the people behind had been standing behind the car (as they would have been to push it off the scales), they could have been struck by them. Fortunately, they realised what was going to happen and moved out of the way.

The scales are designed to have a car rolled on and rolled off. A simple but affective system. It’s only when a car drives off can a problem arise. Hence why you are instructed to be rolled off.

If you use something in a way it’s not designed to be used then you can’t expect it to not break. This applies to everything in life. Drive your car along the road and put it into first gear when you are doing 60 mph and see what happens... that won’t be a bad design/ poor car - that will be user error.

It's done exactly the job it has meant to do under the circumstances laid out in the regulations. The only person who wasn't up to the job was the impatient chap in the red car.

I'm reminded of another front runner who ultimately did lose out to the worsening conditions, in Monza, back in 2008, Q2. I wonder if the beneficiary of the weighbridge protocool that day had this much of a problem with it at that time.

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Neither side covered themselves in glory, in my opinion. Yes, Vettel was impatient and in the wrong. I think it's also fair to state that, knowing that he has been instructed to come in for a weigh, the officials should at least be ready for him and facilitate the completion of the process without undue delay.
Perhaps this may have seen to be a mitigating factor in the eyes of those handing out Vettel's 'punishment.'

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On the vettel incident. Isn't the weigh procedure during qualifying a 3 minute turn around on average.

I am not just mentioning the vettel incident when I ask if the fia have gone soft

Schumacher purposely went into villeneuve at jerez 97. He was disqualified from the championship. Surely on that line of thought. Shouldn't vettel have been disqualified from 2017 for purpusly going into Hamilton.

Senna had his super licence revoked in the off season of 89 to 90 for his remarks made too beleste in his handling of the post senna incident. I forget tge details around the situation. But did senna apologise or was there a backlash that forced the fia too relent.
Nowadays. Max and seb have both made disparaging remarks about the fia with every little punishment.

The teams have hired more lawyers. Any penalty creates a protracted legal battle.

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Sadly yes, and more biased.

Certain driver receive penalties even for minor things.