136 replies to this topic

[Risil]

The headline writers are unsurprisingly leading with the three red flags that disrupted today's Australian Grand Prix. That's a lot! Especially for sunny, normal race at a track that's not exactly Jeddah or Baku. Tell me in poll form what you thought about all of them.

 

As a reminder:

 

Red flag 1: Albon hits the wall

Alex Albon spins by himself and hits the wall quite hard. There is some confusion about whether the race was stopped because the Williams damaged the barrier or because some gravel and/or debris got onto the track, which the FIA judged to be dangerous enough to require a race stoppage.

 

Red flag 2: Magnussen loses tyre

Late in the race Kevin Magnussen catches the wall with a glancing blow and for whatever reason the tyre comes off the rim. Magnussen parks the car up safely but the tyre lands on the race track some distance away.

 

Red flag 3: AAaaaaaaaa

The rules dictate there should be a standing restart with one lap still to run. There are at least three separate accidents as drivers try and make up positions on a cold, dirty track. The race is red flagged, which it turns out means the drivers have to go out again 30-45 minutes later to do a final low-speed lap to the finish line.

[Disgrace]

Bad, good, good, in that order. But they should have just called it after the final red flag, using the order they went with. It doesn't have to be the waste of time that it ended up being.

[Laptom]

I truly think the SC's & flags were OK.

Also the Albon one, with alot of grind on the track. It is too dangerous to get a piece of stone airborned. Expecially in that corner which could lead to overtakes.

One thing I have a problem with is the standing start after 75% of the race. This is a recipe for disaster.

[Muppetmad]

The first red flag was entirely unnecessary, and that tied race control's hands thereafter.

[PayasYouRace]

Bad, Bad, Good.

 

First time the worst of the gravel could easily have been cleared under a SC.

 

Second time a SC was easily enough to clear that tyre. If the laps had run out, that's OK.

 

Third time was carnage. Red flag was fair. There was no need for the parade lap at the end though.

[FirstnameLastname]

We need red flags every time a bird lands on the track. To spice up safety.

[Ivanhoe]

Think all the SC and flags were okay, presuming that they needed to fix the barrier on the first red flag and there was too much debris on track with the second.

[P123]

Final red flag was just panic from RC as they wanted to nix the race before a sector was completed and all the carnage was placed firmly on their shoulders.  Should have been a SC to the end.  With the Magnussen incident, once the field was bunched I'd guess enough of a gap to fetch the debris, as used to happen.

[SophieB]

I was really struck by how crappy a call it was to announce a yellow flag/SC for the first one and then a couple of minutes later to upgrade it to a red when teams had made decisions based on that call, yet it didn’t look like anything had changed on track. If it turns out the barrier was found to be damaged and needed repairing, I take some of this back, but the journos at the time said the FIA told them it was because of the gravel which was a known factor from the start of the incident.

[Muppetmad]

If there was indeed a damaged barrier, then yes, the first red flag was ultimately a fair call. This said, race control's statement was explicit in stating that it had been caused by gravel on the circuit.

[TomNokoe]

I was really struck by how crappy a call it was to announce a yellow flag/SC for the first one and then a couple of minutes later to upgrade it to a red when teams had made decisions based on that call, yet it didn’t look like anything had changed on track. If it turns out the barrier was found to be damaged and needed repairing, I take some of this back, but the journos at the time said the FIA told them it was because of the gravel which was a known factor from the start of the incident.

Worrying precedent

[PayasYouRace]

I was really struck by how crappy a call it was to announce a yellow flag/SC for the first one and then a couple of minutes later to upgrade it to a red when teams had made decisions based on that call, yet it didn’t look like anything had changed on track. If it turns out the barrier was found to be damaged and needed repairing, I take some of this back, but the journos at the time said the FIA told them it was because of the gravel which was a known factor from the start of the incident.

 

It was a tecpro barrier though, so only needs a couple of blokes to shift the block back to it's place. Only when the concrete or armco barrier, or the catch fence is damaged is a red flag really necessary.

[PayasYouRace]

Worrying precedent

 

Don't worry. Precedent has never meant anything to F1 race control.

[dweller23]

First red flag was a bit reminiscent of Tsunoda Q1 in Monaco 2022 red flag - completely unnecessary, but seeing that the race was shaping up to be a classic, I can see FIA vs FOM war leaking into it and FIA forcing the red flag there.

 

Second red flag was also unnecessary, but was probably due to the Monza 2022 debacle, look at the 2009 Australian GP result - it ended behind the SC and yet the feeling is that it was exciting

 

Third red flag - well, given that they got into that mess, it was necessary as 6 or so cars crashed. Shouldn't get to this point in the first place though.

[SophieB]

Worrying precedent

Modern races leave my head by the following week, but I vaguely think this is far from the first time this has happened in the last few years, the whole Yellow Flag/SC, thing where some cars pit based on that, then get instantly screwed by the announcement of a Red, but I can’t remember when and where.

[Laster]

Good grief this will take some explaining.

Albon incident - I understand it I don’t necessarily agree with it as it could have been sorted under safety car but I’m okay with it because ultimately race control needs to think first and foremost what is the safe action to take, what’s fair comes second. So I’m ultimately okay with them calling a red flag even if I think cleaning the circuit could have been achieved under safety car.

Magnussen incident. Again I’m okay with them calling a red flag, you have shards of metal from the wheel rim being destroyed and it’s strewn across the track, they may have been able to clear it up under safety car - it would have meant finishing under safety car which I personally have no issue with as it is at least fair end to the race, but they chose to red flag and I accept that.

What I do disagree with is doing a standing start when two laps from the end, it was so painfully obvious to me what was going to happen. There is now only one chance to make something happen so every driver will be thinking ‘I have to make something from this’ no matter the series, no matter the drivers - there will always be a crash under these circumstances, it was madness to choose a standing start over a rolling start. Worse it made it so everyone’s result felt unfair.

Did Gasly deserve to lose 5th place after a great drive - no.
Did Hulkenberg deserve to lose 4th and potential podium with Sainz pnealty - no.
Did Tsunoda deserve to lose 5th after an epic restart - no.
But did Alonso deserve to lose a podium through contact that was no fault of his own - no.

No matter what way you cut it someone somewhere was going to lose out and feel justifiably robbed of a hard won result, and a large portion of the fanbase would feel aggrieved. Ending under a safety car or doing a rolling restart would have been much more fair for everyone involved and nowhere near as contentious as this crap.

I gotta admit I’ve never felt so miserable after watching a race where the two drivers I support had good races and scored points because this felt so damn farcical.

[ANF]

1. Don't care (the entire width of the track was covered with gravel at the exit of a blind corner and the Tecpro was out of position).

2. Bad, bad, bad (with so few laps remaining they should have let the race finish behind the safety car; standing restarts are a lottery; grands prix shouldn't be decided by a lottery after 56 of 58 laps).

3. Don't care (the standing restarts and the accidents caused by it shouldn't have happened in the first place; yes, I'd rather see a SC than a red flag, but the red flag nullified the lottery; for example, Alonso was turned round by Sainz and would have finished outside the points had the red flag not been thrown again).

[ANF]

(For me, the problem with Monza 2022 wasn't necessarily the fact that the race finished behind the SC; the problem was that there should have been enough time to go back to green flag racing had it not been for the slow recovery of the McLaren and the slow deployment of the SC.)

[SenorSjon]

Modern races leave my head by the following week, but I vaguely think this is far from the first time this has happened in the last few years, the whole Yellow Flag/SC, thing where some cars pit based on that, then get instantly screwed by the announcement of a Red, but I can’t remember when and where.

Perez in SA last year was identical.

[Heyli]

Modern races leave my head by the following week, but I vaguely think this is far from the first time this has happened in the last few years, the whole Yellow Flag/SC, thing where some cars pit based on that, then get instantly screwed by the announcement of a Red, but I can’t remember when and where.

Saudi Arabia 2021.

[AlexPrime]

I am afraid that used the red flag to create "show". That prevented me to fully enjoy the race.

[Gambelli]

We need red flags every time a bird lands on the track. To spice up safety.

 

Then why didn't they bring out the Red Flag in Quali when Verstappen nearly hit that bird walking across the track, this is where they are so inconsistent!

[ensign14]

Poll 3 should have a "finish it there" option.

[William Hunt]

I can't believe so many people think that those red flags were not necessary. The safety of the drivers should always be priority. Albon's crash caused a lot of gravel to be on the track and this is very fast circuit, it also would have taken too long for track workers to clean that up and no reason to put track workers on a live track if you can avoid it, even if it's during a safety car.

The Magnussen crash had a tyre on a live track but also debris that had to be cleaned up. You don't want any debris remaining on track if it goes green again, that can cause another crash.

To me these were two clear cases that necessitated a red flag. Driver safety (and off course also the safety of marshalls) comes first.

[Ruudbackus]

The first one is debatable; i voted for bad, but the track was dirty. Why i voted Bad was because this used to be handled with a safety car only and slowly driving by the accident. The barrier did't seem that damaged (and also given it took "only" 15 mintues to restart) so I felt the red flag was overdone it in the end.

 

The second one is also debatable but also here I voted no; the tire could well have been handled with a safety car but it seemed a lot of carbon was also thrown on the racing line. Unliek the gravel that cuts through tires easily. But also here, this used to be solved by a regular safetycar.

 

The third to me is a no brainer; it shouldn't have started that way but given the carnage at turn 1 and 3 there was no other option then to red flag it.

[STRFerrari4Ever]

Bad, Bad and Good, however this is all comedic considering in F2 and F3 with MORE cars and MORE incidents during the 4 races they participated in this weekend, the FIA completely went against that(SC usage) and created a colossal mess.

It was funny when the Magnussen incident occurred because they brought out the SC for show essentially but because of the earlier red flag for GRAVEL not issuing a red flag for a literal tyre carcass and debris on the track would’ve drawn more ire towards them.

Furthermore the red flag rules that allow competitors to change their tyres meant that the race was nullified of any strategic intrigue and the gambles of Russell and Sainz were nerfed and they lost positions and time to cars that would otherwise be behind them or more vulnerable to them on fresher tyres.

All in all, a day to forget for F1 and it muddies the waters of racing purists and sporting purists too because the FIA are prone to misapplying their own rules and intervening with said rules to create even more confusion and chaos.

Edited by STRFerrari4Ever, 02 April 2023 - 09:41.

[cyclist]

I think the first too red flags were a decent decision, but I think the restart procedure was bad. I can sort of understand they did a  standing restart after the first red flag, but that tied the hands of the race director, as anything than a standing restart for the 2nd red flag could seem to favor RedBull. Adu Dhabi 21 still rears it's head again here. However it was all too clear that a restart as late as this in the race would be absolute chaos and it was. I can't see either the race director, the teams or the drivers happy with this outcome.

 

As for my twenty cents: if you want the track to be repaired safely, put out a red flag. If damage is repaired the restart procedure is determined amount of race distance still to cover. If enough laps are left, a standing restart with tire change is OK, if not a rolling start without tire change. It should not be to hard to implement this. It would still allow for racing to take place. The field is bunched up enough by the safety car to insure a good race, without the lottery element like today.

[timmy bolt]

I know every moans about run offs in modern formula one but if this the result of having gravel traps then give me concrete run off or grass in these areas any day.

Obviously doesn't apply to all areas and only those where the car can conceivable bounce back on to the track. But that first red flag...

[FirstWatt]

Red Flags create (as could be seen on the first one) potentially very unfair conditions.

At least the teams should not be allowed to change tyres (OFC with the exemption if a tire is damaged in a way to put car and driver in danger).

 

And if a Red Flag has been given, I can't see the sense behind a standing start. 

 

A Red flag should been seen as an extension of the Safety car procedure in case of longer lasting track operations or for safety reasons (Marshalls cleaning the track or so), with the difference of standing still in the pitlane, and should end always with an SC.

[Clrnc]

Bad, good, good, in that order. But they should have just called it after the final red flag, using the order they went with. It doesn't have to be the waste of time that it ended up being.

Yep same. The first red flag was unfair and ruined the race. The last red flag was understandable since they want to finish the race not behind a SC and also to avoid another Abu controversy

[Clrnc]

Final red flag was just panic from RC as they wanted to nix the race before a sector was completed and all the carnage was placed firmly on their shoulders. Should have been a SC to the end. With the Magnussen incident, once the field was bunched I'd guess enough of a gap to fetch the debris, as used to happen.

Agree with this too. The Hulk and Tsunoda got robbed of great positions there

[JeePee]

I can't believe so many people think that those red flags were not necessary. The safety of the drivers should always be priority. Albon's crash caused a lot of gravel to be on the track and this is very fast circuit, it also would have taken too long for track workers to clean that up and no reason to put track workers on a live track if you can avoid it, even if it's during a safety car.

The Magnussen crash had a tyre on a live track but also debris that had to be cleaned up. You don't want any debris remaining on track if it goes green again, that can cause another crash.

To me these were two clear cases that necessitated a red flag. Driver safety (and off course also the safety of marshalls) comes first.

I can't believe you want drivers to race. Just think about their safety man...

The gravel in Albons case was already cleared on the racing line when 3 cars went past it. The Red Flag was a complete overreaction.

[Heyli]

Red Flags create (as could be seen on the first one) potentially very unfair conditions.

At least the teams should not be allowed to change tyres (OFC with the exemption if a tire is damaged in a way to put car and driver in danger).

 

And if a Red Flag has been given, I can't see the sense behind a standing start. 

 

A Red flag should been seen as an extension of the Safety car procedure in case of longer lasting track operations or for safety reasons (Marshalls cleaning the track or so), with the difference of standing still in the pitlane, and should end always with an SC.

if teams are not allowed to change tyres, it still creates potentially very unfair conditions.

[uzsjgb]

 

The rules dictate there should be a standing restart with one lap still to run.

 

I have been looking for the exact rules, could you point me towards them? Is there really a rule explicitly stating that one lap has to remain for a standing restart?

 

I actually thought we would have a standing restart instead of a safety car finish and a race to the finish line. But it seems the finish line in Australia was in front of the starting line.

 

I have been thinking about this theoretical case:

- the rules dictate a standing restart after a red flag

- cars are on the last lap of a race

- if the cars reach their starting positions before the finish line (i.e. start and finish line identical), then the race is clearly not over, because no car has passed the finish line and ended the last lap and the race and thus the red flag restart rule applies

- the race is restarted and the cars sprint to the finish line

 

For this not to happen the rules must explicitly state that a red flag restart can only happen if a complete race lap remains. I am not convinced the FIA has so much foresight.

[Risil]

I have been looking for the exact rules, could you point me towards them? Is there really a rule explicitly stating that one lap has to remain for a standing restart?

No I can't, I don't have a clue about what the rules actually say. I'm going off what the commentators were saying at the time.

As other posters have commented, the FIA were pretty absent during all this and not sending anyone out to explain their decisions, which I guess might be related to the Abu Dhabi 2021 fiasco but equally a vacuum isn't good either.

[F1 Mike]

I can't believe so many people think that those red flags were not necessary. The safety of the drivers should always be priority. Albon's crash caused a lot of gravel to be on the track and this is very fast circuit, it also would have taken too long for track workers to clean that up and no reason to put track workers on a live track if you can avoid it, even if it's during a safety car.

The Magnussen crash had a tyre on a live track but also debris that had to be cleaned up. You don't want any debris remaining on track if it goes green again, that can cause another crash.

To me these were two clear cases that necessitated a red flag. Driver safety (and off course also the safety of marshalls) comes first.

Head of the GPDA thinks the red flags lately have been unnecessary. Man who won the race thought none of it was necessary. 3 time world champion thought it all seemed a bit daft.

These are the people actually in the cars

[ANF]

1. Don't care (the entire width of the track was covered with gravel at the exit of a blind corner and the Tecpro was out of position).

2. Bad, bad, bad (with so few laps remaining they should have let the race finish behind the safety car; standing restarts are a lottery; grands prix shouldn't be decided by a lottery after 56 of 58 laps).

3. Don't care (the standing restarts and the accidents caused by it shouldn't have happened in the first place; yes, I'd rather see a SC than a red flag, but the red flag nullified the lottery; for example, Alonso was turned round by Sainz and would have finished outside the points had the red flag not been thrown again).

3b. I just realised that had there been 59 laps, the third red flag probably would have been followed by another standing restart despite the mess created by the previous one. :puke:

[HuddersfieldTerrier1986]

1st red flag: Shocking, leaves them in a situation now where if we ever have a half reasonable-ish amount of gravel on track, they should throw the red flags (based on today)

 

2nd red flag: Bad. Not necessary. Done to give the best chance of a green flag finish, no other reason

 

3rd red flag: Either red flag or finishing behind the SC, neither is optimal as in both cases you don't finish under green (which we know they want to do if they can)

 

As for whether they should've restarted after the 3rd red flag (and I haven't read every post so apologies if mentioned) but you would've ended up in a situation had they not restarted, of them going back 2 laps and therefore having various cars classified (in the points) despite being trashed. Has happened before of course, so it is an option, but maybe not totally fair. Matter of opinion though, as with that one, there was sort of no totally 100% correct way of doing it, though I feel what they chose, was the best of the options available

[NewMrMe]

My thoughts.

 

Albon accident - Could have been handled by a safety car. The safety car creates a 2-3 minute window each lap where the marshals could have swept the gravel before moving out of the way when the cars come round again. It wouldn't have taken more than 3-4 laps to clear.

 

Magnussen accident - I initially thought the wheel recovery could have been handled with a VSC. That was before the reports of further debris though. Again though, that could have been handled by the safety car. I think this would have meant the end of the race, but so be it. If the race finished under the safety car, then that is its natural conclusion. I don't agree with late race restarts, it adds too much of a random element.

 

Final restart - I agree this did warrant a red flag. Wrecked cars on a circuit where there is no run off (as on the straight between turns 2 and 3) is one of the scenarios where a stoppage is required.

[uzsjgb]

No I can't, I don't have a clue about what the rules actually say.

 

That is the problem, everybody just winging it without knowledge of the rules. And this weird propensity of fans wanting to see less racing.

 

In these types of cases I try to take a step back and look at the rules or, if I don't like the rules, how I would rewrite them. I am greatly in favor of consistency based on rules. But most times I find it impossible to write clear rules. What should be avoided at all cost is unclear rules and teams protesting the results after the race.

 

It is easy to say that after a "major incident" in the last laps this and that should happen. But how do you define "major incident" in the rules, so that it cannot be protested? While the FIA can surely write different rules for the last third of a race or for even and uneven laps, or whatever, they should have a very solid argumentative basis for this. I don't really see one. And if the FIA argues that standing restarts are too dangerous in the last third of a race, then it would be difficult to argue for their safety in the laps before. What changes between lap 40 and lap 41 to make standing restarts more dangerous?

 

What should also be avoided is emotional arguments based on one set of circumstances. The drivers messed up the last restart, which is no fault of the FIA or the rules. Drivers can also mess up the first start. If the drivers had not messed up the start, but instead Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso had had a three-way battle for the win, most people would be saying how great that was. I would wager that few people would be saying we should have ended the race early and skipped that.

[Timorous]

bad good good IMO.

 

Don't think the Albon issue needed a red flag. Maybe if they wanted to check the barrier was okay I could kinda understand but it did not seem necessary to me.

 

The Magnussen tyre left a lot of debris around so while it could have been handled fine under a SC I can see the sense in throwing a red flag, getting the track ready and not wasting laps behind the SC.

 

The final one was a cluster so this was the right call. Maybe not worth doing a parade lap at the end though.

 

Personally I would prefer them to tighten up the timings around a red flag and dispense with a full SC all together. If VSC cannot handle it use the red flag and then release back out to VSC delta at the pre red flag time deltas.

[JHSingo]

I'm an advocate for always finishing races under green where possible, and I think it's good that F1 tries this. I mean, they're in a kind of no-win position, aren't they? When a race finishes behind the safety car, like at Monza last year, everyone complains and it's almost universally considered a rubbish end to a race. So on days like today, they try to finish under racing conditions, and it gets described as a "farce" by some sections of the media. So, what do people actually want?

 

That said, I was surprised that they elected for a standing restart with so few laps remaining. I suppose I'm not sure whether it's entirely fair for someone, like Alonso, who had been running P3 for pretty much the entire race, having that potentially undone through no fault of their own at the restart. It was a similar sort of thing at Baku a couple of years ago, where Lewis (if not for the lock up at the first turn) could've ended up winning a race he probably didn't deserve to win. Sure, it's exciting, but it's perhaps a bit too much jeopardy for me. Perhaps regs should be changed so that if a safety car is called with under five laps remaining, the procedure is always that it's a rolling restart? 

 

I missed the Albon incident live, so when I read that the race had been red flagged early, I was expecting a sizeable incident. I'm not quite sure why that merited a red flag. And the whole delay at the end to finding out what the actual result was, whilst ultimately the correct decision, was just a total waste of time. 

[Ben1980]

I can sort of see them all as understandable.

The cars going round could have caught some gravel to anyone nearby tasked with clearing it.

Second one, personally I'd red flag anything last 10 laps or so, ro stop safety car finishes.

3rd one, obviously fine.

Still don't like that you can change the car under a red flag.

[ANF]

I have been looking for the exact rules, could you point me towards them? Is there really a rule explicitly stating that one lap has to remain for a standing restart?
 
I actually thought we would have a standing restart instead of a safety car finish and a race to the finish line. But it seems the finish line in Australia was in front of the starting line.
 
I have been thinking about this theoretical case:
- the rules dictate a standing restart after a red flag
- cars are on the last lap of a race
- if the cars reach their starting positions before the finish line (i.e. start and finish line identical), then the race is clearly not over, because no car has passed the finish line and ended the last lap and the race and thus the red flag restart rule applies
- the race is restarted and the cars sprint to the finish line
 
For this not to happen the rules must explicitly state that a red flag restart can only happen if a complete race lap remains. I am not convinced the FIA has so much foresight.

Here's how it works:

• The SC was deployed on lap 54.
• The race was suspended/red-flagged on lap 55.
• The race is always resumed behind the safety car, even when there is a standing restart.
• The lap(s) behind the safety car before the standing/rolling restart count as racing laps.
• So the race today was resumed behind the safety car on lap 56 and there was a standing restart.
• The race was suspended again on lap 57.
• And the race was resumed behind the safety car on lap 58.
• Since lap 58 was the last lap of the race, the race had to be finished on lap 58 behind the safety car.

These are the rules:

55.16

If the safety car is still deployed at the beginning of the last lap, or is deployed during the last lap, it will enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and the cars will take the end-of-session signal as normal without overtaking.

57.1

Should it become necessary to suspend the sprint session or the race, the clerk of the course will order red flags to be shown at all marshal posts and the abort lights to be shown at the Line.

57.2

When the signal is given overtaking is forbidden, the pit exit will be closed and all cars must proceed slowly into the pit lane. The first car to arrive in the pit lane should proceed directly to the pit exit staying in the fast lane, all the other cars should form up in a line behind the first car.

58.8

The sprint session or the race will be resumed behind the safety car when the green lights [on the safety car] are illuminated and the safety car leaves the pit lane. Drivers must follow the safety car no more than ten car lengths apart.

58.11

If track conditions are considered suitable to resume the sprint session or the race from a standing start, the message “STANDING START PROCEDURE” will be sent to all Competitors using the official messaging system at a time no later than one (1) minute signal detailed in Article 58.5.

When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car, the message “STANDING START” will be sent to all Competitors using the official messaging system, all FIA light panels will display “SS” and the safety car’s orange lights will be extinguished. This will be the signal to the Competitors and drivers that the safety car will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.
...
Each lap completed while the safety car is deployed will be counted as a sprint session lap or a race lap as appropriate.


Those articles in full:

Spoiler

55) SAFETY CAR

55.16

If the safety car is still deployed at the beginning of the last lap, or is deployed during the last lap, it will enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and the cars will take the end-of-session signal as normal without overtaking.


57) SUSPENDING A SPRINT SESSION OR A RACE

57.1

If Competitors or officials are placed in immediate physical danger by cars running on the track, and the clerk of the course deems circumstances are such that the track cannot be negotiated safely, even behind the safety car, the sprint session or the race will be suspended.

Should it become necessary to suspend the sprint session or the race, the clerk of the course will order red flags to be shown at all marshal posts and the abort lights to be shown at the Line.

57.2

When the signal is given overtaking is forbidden, the pit exit will be closed and all cars must proceed slowly into the pit lane. The first car to arrive in the pit lane should proceed directly to the pit exit staying in the fast lane, all the other cars should form up in a line behind the first car.

58) RESUMING A SPRINT SESSION OR A RACE

58.8

The sprint session or the race will be resumed behind the safety car when the green lights are illuminated and the safety car leaves the pit lane. Drivers must follow the safety car no more than ten car lengths apart.

58.11

If track conditions are considered suitable to resume the sprint session or the race from a standing start, the message “STANDING START PROCEDURE” will be sent to all Competitors using the official messaging system at a time no later than one (1) minute signal detailed in Article 58.5.

When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car, the message “STANDING START” will be sent to all Competitors using the official messaging system, all FIA light panels will display “SS” and the safety car’s orange lights will be extinguished. This will be the signal to the Competitors and drivers that the safety car will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.

At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than ten (10) car lengths behind it.

As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the FIA light panels will be extinguished.

Once the safety car has entered the pit lane all cars, with the exception of those that were in their garage at the time the sprint session or the race was suspended (see Article 57.3), or those who have been moved from the fast lane (see Article 57.5, can return to the grid, take up their grid positions and follow the procedures set out in Articles 43.11, 43.12 and 43.13 or Articles 44.10, 44.11 and 44.12 as relevant.

Each lap completed while the safety car is deployed will be counted as a sprint session lap or a race lap as appropriate.

[jacdaniel]

The most annoying thing about the red flags is the time they take. It seems the issue gets solved but you have to wait 10 or 15 extra minutes anyways

[FirstnameLastname]

Probably the best thing that could come from today is a review into the red flag rules.

No tyre changes unless safety grounds - in which case you incur a 25s time penalty or whatever is the agreed average pit time for each track

If within the final 5 laps - there will be 5 laps of racing added to the end. If that requires refuelling, teams are permitted to refuel the car during the red flag phase.

[FLB]

First red flag was a bit reminiscent of Tsunoda Q1 in Monaco 2022 red flag - completely unnecessary, but seeing that the race was shaping up to be a classic, I can see FIA vs FOM war leaking into it and FIA forcing the red flag there.

 

 Fully agree.

[Borat]

JUST FINISH UNDER YELLOW ... its fine and no one is upset. Whoever is dictating under no circumstances are we to finish under a yellow, is who is to blame for Abudabi and today's craziness.

Edited by Borat, 02 April 2023 - 12:09.

[uzsjgb]

JUST FINISH UNDER YELLOW ... 

 

Are cars magically not affected by debris or wrecks on track in the last laps of a race? I remember that after the Gasly-Sainz incident in Japan everybody was criticizing the FIA for only deploying a safety car and not a red flag.

[JHSingo]

JUST FINISH UNDER YELLOW ... its fine and no one is upset. 

 

The Tifosi at last year's Italian Grand Prix would suggest otherwise...