Charlie Whiting has warned that anyone seeking to emulate Sebastian Vettel's tactic of lining up his car outside a starting grid box will likely receive a penalty.
Drivers voiced their grievances over Vettel's scheme in China to the FIA race director in Friday evening's driver briefing, requesting clear guidelines for the future.
Whiting simply reminded everyone that start rules have not changed in the last 20 years, with only a few extreme cases of drivers lining up outside their assigned grid box.
Vettel parked his Ferrari to the left of his spot in a bid avoid putting his rear wheels on a more slippery white line.
While Whiting clearly noticed the driver's odd position, he chose to go ahead with the normal start procedure and refer the matter to the stewards who, after review, took no further action.
Friday evening, Whiting told the drivers to use their common sense and refrain from placing their cars outside their starting box.
"Charlie gave us his opinion and he said that if what Sebastian did happens again, then you might not get away with it," Sergio Perez told Motorsport.com.
"I think Sebastian was on the limit from that side and, if Charlie sees that again, it might be a penalty.
"I hope it doesn’t happen as we might get into an argument if another driver gets a penalty. So what will common sense be? It is a hard decision for the stewards."
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