Restart procedure tweaked after Australian GP confusion

Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich has confirmed the race restart procedures for the Azerbaijan GP in a bid to prevent the confusion from the previous event.

During the race restarts for the Australian GP, Max Verstappen questioned the gap left by race leader Lewis Hamilton behind the Safety Car.

Ordinarily, drivers must keep 'within ten car lengths' of the Safety Car, or risk a penalty.

However, the stewards confirmed during the Melbourne race that this rule does not apply to a race that is restarting from a red flag, and therefore no penalty was required.

The confusion has now prompted Race Director Niels Wittich to issue 'temporary' instructions for the Azerbaijan GP weekend, with a view to finalising clarifications in the future.

The published procedure confirms that cars will wait 30 seconds after the Safety Car when leaving the pits to allow for sufficient tyre warmup processes.

When the Safety Car leaves the pit lane after a red flag, its lights will be extinguished straight away, which is a traditional indicator that the race leader controls the pace of the field.

The Race Director published the following procedure ahead of the Saturday Sprint in Azerbaijan:

• 10 Minutes Signal
• 5 Minutes Signal
• 3 Minutes Signal
• 2 Minutes - lapped cars will leave the pit lane to complete one lap and return to the pit lane
• 1 Minute Signal
• 15 Seconds Signal
• Pit exit green light - SC will leave the pit lane with its lights on, lights will be extinguished after 1 second.
• 30 Seconds after the SC has left the pit lane, all drivers leave the pit lane and proceed to the grid without overtaking.
• Standing Start Procedure