Formula 1

The FIA has issued a new sporting directive to provide clarity on pitstop penalties

Published

2 months ago

31/03/2023

The FIA has issued a new sporting directive to provide clarity on pitstop penalties

FIA Issues New Directive to Prevent Controversial Pitstop Penalties After Alonso Incident. In the wake of the Alonso controversy, the FIA has issued a new sporting directive to provide clarity on pitstop penalties.

The FIA has provided a clarification regarding the definition of “working on” a car during a penalty pitstop. This came after Fernando Alonso received a 10-second penalty during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was later overturned following a review by Aston Martin. The review found that the team had touched the car with both the front and rear jacks while Alonso was serving a penalty on lap 18 of the race at Jeddah. As a result, the FIA has issued a directive to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The newly issued sporting directive provides clarification on Article 54.4 of the sporting regulations, which pertains to penalties incurred by a car in the pitlane. The article specifies that when a car is stationary due to a penalty, no work may be carried out on the car until the penalty duration has elapsed.

According to the central point of the sporting directive, any physical contact with the car or its components, including touching the car or the driver with hand, tools, or equipment (such as front and rear jacks), during the serving of a pitstop penalty will be classified as “work” being carried out on the car.

As a result of the directive, it is prohibited to touch the car in any manner while a time penalty is being served at the beginning of a pitstop.

During Fernando Alonso’s pitstop penalty incident, Aston Martin presented video evidence and minutes of a sporting advisory committee meeting that showcased seven other instances where cars were touched by the jack during such penalties. These findings led to the overturning of Alonso’s penalty after the race.

The introduction of the new sporting directive aims to eliminate any ambiguity in the interpretation of the regulation and ensure that there is a clear understanding between stewards and teams. This will prevent any potential controversies from occurring in the future.

The directive also explicitly permits the use of cooling fans during a penalty, as long as they do not make any physical contact with the car. Furthermore, it codifies the convention that permits multiple penalties to be served successively during a single pitstop.

The recent modifications to the sporting regulations were a result of a thorough analysis of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by the FIA.

As part of the analysis, the FIA identified key areas for improvement, such as widening the grid boxes by 20cm and adding a painted white centerline to aid drivers with limited visibility to place their car legally. These changes have been implemented to enhance the safety and fairness of the competition for all drivers.

The reason for Fernando Alonso’s initial penalty during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was that his car was positioned too far to the left at the start, which breached the regulations. A similar penalty was also given to Esteban Ocon, a driver from the Alpine team, during the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. These penalties were issued due to the drivers’ inability to place their cars correctly on the grid, highlighting the need for the changes to the grid boxes and centerlines to improve visibility and accuracy.

The FIA has announced that they are currently examining various other aspects of the sporting regulations for potential further improvement. These “common practices,” which are not explicitly defined or documented in the regulations, will be formally outlined in the future, either through new rules or a sporting directive. The aim is to provide clarity and consistency across all teams and drivers, and to ensure that the competition is conducted fairly and safely.

The FIA will also be considering the various procedures that can result in time delays in the event of late-race reports being submitted to the stewards. This issue came to light during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso’s second penalty was applied quite late in the race. The FIA will examine these procedures to identify any potential areas for improvement to ensure that such delays do not occur in the future. This will help to maintain the integrity and fairness of the competition and avoid any controversies arising from delayed decisions.

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