The FIA's decision to not take further action against Sebastian Vettel for his clash with Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has proved almost as controversial as the incident itself.
On one side of the debate are those who think Vettel has got away with his actions simply because of a late apology, and on the other side are those who believed that the German already served his punishment in Baku so F1 is right to forgive, forget and move on.
Regardless of the various opinions floating around, the clash with Hamilton and the fallout over the last week has brought up some big issues that should be addressed.
SHOULD 'SORRY' BE THE EASIEST WORD?
The key thrust of the reasoning for FIA president Jean Todt's decision to draw a line under the matter was that Vettel admitted full responsibility and apologised for what happened.
But should saying sorry - especially when that regret comes only after you are at risk of further sanctions - be enough?
On Sunday night in Baku neither Vettel nor Ferrari showed any remorse for what happened, and even questioned the decision to get a penalty at all.
Vettel apologises for 'dangerous overreaction'
But precedent would now seem to suggest that saying sorry is enough to escape punishments, with Vettel having also been let off for his outburst against Charlie Whiting at least year's Mexican Grand Prix in light an apology he made after that race.
The FIA could find itself in a tricky situation in the future if drivers view these two Vettel affairs as a green light to behave as they want on track, if they know that simply apologising afterwards is enough to escape a slap over the wrists.
IS IT TIME FOR AN OVERHAUL?
One of the reasons why the FIA may have preferred to avoid taking the matter to its International Tribunal is that it would have opened up a lengthy legal process that would have overshadowed F1 for the next few months.
The processes laid down in FIA statutes state that if a Tribunal hearing is called and charges are brought against a competitor, then there is a 15-day time frame for the accused to respond, another 15-day time frame for the prosecutor to reply, and then a further 15-days before a hearing can begin.
Even after the hearing, there then remains the possibility of the matter going to the International Court of Appeal which could take several more weeks.
In a worst-case scenario, this affair could have dragged on until late summer.
That prompts the question about whether there is a case for the FIA's disciplinary process to change, especially when it comes to incidents like Vettel's Mexican GP outburst and the Baku safety car swipe.
Should there be the creation of some form of panel of experts that could be brought into play to make fast-track judgements on the rare occasions when controversial incidents prompt a post-race investigation?
DOES F1 NEED MORE TRANSPARENCY?
The Vettel incident in Baku has served to divide F1's fanbase, with almost everyone having a strong opinion about who was right and who was wrong.
But the situation has not been helped by the lack of a full explanation behind many of the decisions made from the moment the incident happened.
The full telemetry readings that the FIA based its initial reasoning that Hamilton did not brake test Vettel should have been released to prove that the Mercedes driver was innocent.
And what was the official reasoning for Vettel not getting a black flag in Baku - was it really because he was fighting for the championship, or were there other factors at play?
Too much mystery surrounded Monday's hearing too, with the FIA not willing to release details of who was going to be present at the meeting. Why also only have Vettel and Ferrari present and not Hamilton as the afflicted party?
There has not yet been an explanation of why an apology is enough when the whole reason the investigation was called in the first place was because of fears about the impact the incident could have on motor racing's image and reputation.
It was little wonder then that, in light of such a wall of silence, that a 'fake news' FIA press release (declaring Vettel was excluded from the Baku race) was able to get traction on social media on Monday and even get picked up by some national newspapers as being official.
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