The FIA has taken the seldom-seen step of issuing an explanation following several unusual occurrences during the Qatar Grand Prix.
The exercise serves as a justification after calls from race control and the stewards were heavily questioned following the race at the Lusail International Circuit.
The stewards had a prolific evening, giving out an array of penalties during a messy and chaotic grand prix.
One punishment stood out, in particular, due to its rarity and the apparent harshness of the verdict.
McLaren's Lando Norris was awarded a 10-second stop/go penalty for failing to lift under double-waved yellow flags on the main straight, which were deployed after a wing mirror fell off Alex Albon's Williams.
To further compound the situation, race director Rui Marquez, who was taking part in just his second race in the role, opted not to neutralise the grand prix - by way of either the virtual safety car or the full intervention - with Albon's strewn wing mirror sitting in the middle of the main straight.
Several laps went by with the double-waved yellow flags in place before Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror.
This caused shattered bits of the mirror and the floor of his Stake to cover a considerable width of the track. Only once Hamilton and Carlos Sainz had picked up punctures was the safety car finally deployed, seemingly an inevitable action and several laps too late.
Due to the criticism, both within the F1 paddock and less crucially online, the FIA has explained the decision-making process that led to such calls.
FIA Explanations
With regard to Norris' penalty, the FIA has noted that:
· The penalty was in accordance with the penalty guidelines circulated to the teams on 19 February 2024.
· A double yellow flag infringement is considered a serious compromise of safety, which is why such offences carry such a severe penalty.
With regard to the wing mirror incident:
· Normal practice is for the safety car not to be deployed if there is a small amount of debris, and off the racing line.
· The extensive debris after a car hit the mirror and the punctures that occurred shortly after forced the decision on a safety car.
· A VSC would not have been a solution, as the cars remain spread out and there is not sufficient time for a marshal to clear the debris.
· The FIA constantly reviews its methods and processes and will analyse further the specific scenario, and discuss it with the teams, in order to see whether in the future a different course of action needs to be taken.
Additionally, the FIA has also revealed what happened when the lights on the safety car malfunctioned during the race.
· During the 2nd safety car period, the lights malfunctioned.
· All teams were verbally advised that the SC would be coming in, so the re-start took place in the normal fashion.
· While the reason for the malfunction was identified and fixed, out of caution, the safety car was swapped in time for its 3rd deployment.
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!