Will inceased stewards fine stop top team's tricks?

[John S]

New 2011 maximum of £155k will hardly dent the wallet of Ferrari or McLaren, is there then any real point to this increase from the FIA? Might it not be better to put some more specific one off higher penalties for individual rule breaches, like blatant race fixing? 

The FIA has chosen to increase the maximum fine the race stewards can impose on a grand prix weekend, starting in 2011.

Currently, if the stewards choose to penalise a team with a monetary fine, the maximum amount they can impose is £60,000 ($100,000). This amount is, by Formula One standards, pocket-change.

The new amount has been increased by more than double, to £155,000 ($250,000). Again, this isn't anything for a team such as Ferrari or McLaren, especially when compared to the £60m ($100m) fine imposed on the Woking-based squad during the spy-scandal of 2007.

The change comes in response to the team orders scandal involving Ferrari earlier this year. The stewards chose to impose the maximum fine they could, however, further punishment was avoided, setting a dangerous precedence which suggested teams could use team orders and only face a small fine.

Thef1times.com, Nov 6.

[Dare]

It seems it's not a question of race fixing but who does
it and when.

If Ferrari does it it's blatant race fixing and if RB or Merc
then it's teamwork.Bit of a double standard to me

[Scott]

Suspected race fixing should always go to the WMSC.

[cosworth151]

It would be more effective if the fine was accompanied by a loss of points. This could be a loss of points for the race in question, and/or the entire season to the point of the infraction. The loss of a championship would get the attention of the big teams much more that just a monetary punishment, IMO.

[Scott]

I don't think (and don't hope) that the stewards are allowed to deduct points, just money and starting grid positions.  If the stewards were allowed to deduct points from the teams, you'd be begging for corruption.

Which is why it should go directly to the WMSC (or preferably an objective, neutral body of some kind).

[lkjohnson1950]

Suspected race fixing should always go to the WMSC.

The WMSC is too political. A lot of people think Ferrari was let off because the Italian and Spanish delegates did some arm twisting among the smaller nations on the Council. Todt is organising a tribunal, which would hopefully be less political, to judge these things in the future.

Lonny