
London - Formula One could be more transparent about stewards' decisions but there was no hidden agenda behind the penalty that cost Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel victory in Canada, the sport's managing director Ross Brawn said on Tuesday.
Vettel was punished after making a mistake in Sunday's race in Montreal while under pressure from Mercedes' championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who finished second but was declared winner.
Brawn recognised that the five second penalty added to Vettel's time after the race had triggered a lot of debate.
"I have a lot of respect for the work of the stewards and for their professionalism, and I believe they would be the first to say that they would prefer not to see a race outcome decided via a penalty," he said in a review of the weekend.
"At the same time, I understand how difficult it must be for fans to understand why the driver on the top step of the podium is not the one who crossed the finish line first," added the Briton.