Steiner questions logic of 'worthless' F1 gentleman's agreement

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has claimed gentleman's agreements between Formula 1 drivers hold no value after Nikita Mazepin was criticised for his latest breach of qualifying etiquette.

There is an unwritten rule between the 20 F1 drivers that no one should jump the traffic queue in qualifying.

But as happened in Bahrain before Mazepin spun and cost the drivers he had passed a shot at reaching Q2, the Russian refused to wait in line behind Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi at Imola.

An annoyed Steiner said: “A gentleman’s agreement is not enforceable.”

He added: “If you go to court with a gentleman’s agreement it doesn’t hold up and that is what counts. It needs to be in the rules.”

Asked if he believed Mazepin was wrong to disregard the agreement for a second race running, he explained: “No.

"I don’t think so because what he did, it was getting very tight with the time so I think the car in front knows we have been on the receiving end as well a few times so then you need to do what you need to do.

“We are not doing it on purpose but it is getting very busy at the end of sessions like this so you just have to go and hope for the best because if you don’t go, you lose the lap anyway.

“I don’t think that you can call this a gentleman’s agreement because, then again, Antonio could have gone fast as well.

“He knew that Nikita was behind him and he needed to make the chequered flag, not miss it.

“I think it is unfortunate. No one is doing this on purpose or anything you know but it is racing and you need to try to take every opportunity you have got.”

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