Formula 1 drivers have been given specific instructions regarding practice starts this weekend following the penalty Lewis Hamilton received at the Russian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was given two five-second penalties during the race for performing his practice starts at an incorrect location on the track. During the pre-race reconnaissance laps Hamilton drove out of the pits and stopped near the end of the pit lane exit.For this weekend’s Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, where F1 is racing for the first time since 2013, drivers have been told they must perform their practice starts in a precise location before driving to the grid.
“During the time the pit exit is open for the race, practice starts may be carried out after the end of the pit wall and adjacent to the orange band on the right-hand side barrier,” said a notice issued by Formula 1 race director Michael Masi.
“Drivers wishing to carry out a practice start should stop on the right in order to allow other cars to pass on their left.
“During this time any driver passing a car which has stopped to carry out a practice start may cross the white [pit lane exit] line. Any driver crossing this line must move back to the right of it as quickly as possible.”
Hamilton was originally given two penalty points for the infractions, but these were later rescinded by the stewards.
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Chris Lloyd (@chrisr1718)
8th October 2020, 11:52
Be easier just to say, no practice starts on race day.
W-K (@w-k)
8th October 2020, 11:56
Errr, surely they might need practice starts on race day if the weather conditions have changed since the last practice.
Bleu (@bleu)
8th October 2020, 12:27
Certain tracks have practice starts banned for race day anyway. Red Bull Ring and Silverstone come to my mind, only practice starts are done after each free practice.
Jere (@jerejj)
8th October 2020, 14:28
@bleu Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, Monaco, and Yas Marina. In a normal season, these are the four exceptions where all practice starts have to be made on the grid after each practice session.
tony mansell
8th October 2020, 12:56
Yes mustn’t have any unknowns
anon
8th October 2020, 17:41
tony mansell, to many, it would be a question of competence on the part of the governing body to issue clear instructions to the competitors about how the race weekend is meant to be organised.
Your sarcastic response gives the impression you seem to think it is a bad idea for the governing body to be issuing clear instructions on how to run the race weekend. Why do you seem to think that it is a bad thing to issue clear instructions to competitors?
Tony Mansell
8th October 2020, 22:57
Told you twice anonce. Don’t speak to me till you have a name. Preferably not then either. Shoo
anon
8th October 2020, 23:19
Tony Mansell, no, you have not said that before – and frankly, given how old you have indicated you are, you really should be acting in a more mature manner and not acting so rudely and arrogantly because you don’t like being asked a simple question.
Why did you post a flippant comment which indicated you think it is a bad thing for the race director to be issuing clear instructions on how to run the race weekend?
skydiverian (@skydiverian)
10th October 2020, 3:59
anon/tony mansell – I won’t take either of you seriously until you both create an account – right now, both of you can view my post history as I (and many others) have created an account to post, so you can judge me on my past comments.
Both of you hide behind anonymous accounts, so I can’t view your post history and therefore cannot judge as to whether your posts are worthy of my time or not. The mismatch of users here has and continues to put me off visiting and leaving more comments than I do because the comment quality is extremely variable and (anecdotally speaking) tends to be worse from anonymous accounts.
Both of you, please do the decent thing and create an account.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
9th October 2020, 1:09
Precisely. There shouldn’t be any unknowns. Clear instructions with no ambiguity is exactly what is required for a race to be run efficiently and safely.
grat
8th October 2020, 15:19
No! No practice starts! The Driver Must Drive Alone and Unaided! And with NO information whatsoever as to grip, wind, traction, or anything else! We must make it impossible for the drivers to compete fairly, because only then will it be fair!
… at least, I think that’s what Crofty said.
Pete
8th October 2020, 12:03
Isn’t this just admitting that their previous instructions weren’t exactly clear enough?
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
8th October 2020, 12:16
Exactly. We were supposed to believe that a veteran racer went rogue and decided to practice wherever he wanted on the track and endangered drivers, crews, marshals, fans, and local wildlife. The points penalties that were tacked on were absurd.
This race HAM will be penalized for some other nuance in the code.
kartguy07 (@kartguy07)
8th October 2020, 12:29
My thoughts exactly. If Masi was so convinced that his notes in Sochi were so clear, then he’d be confident enough to state things in the same way for Nürburgring. But we all know they were ambiguous and that there was a potential loophole depending on interpretation. It’s not enough to say “everyone else did it right” or “that’s how it’s always done”, it has to be explicitly written or it’s not enforceable.
(For what it’s worth, I don’t think Hamilton should have done the starts where he did, but I’m far from convinced the rules and notes on that occasion actually forbade it)
grat
8th October 2020, 15:22
The director’s notes were very clear at Spa. And they were ignored, and LeClerc received no penalty.
Of course, they only found out about the practice start when they investigated him for being too slow on his out-lap. So his practice start, outside the practice start area, was OK, and was used as the justification for his slow lap time.
W-K (@w-k)
8th October 2020, 19:08
What happens on race day when the rain stopped at 45 mins before the race start time and the track is drying but the designated marked space for practice starts is still a deep puddle?
Matteo (@m-bagattini)
8th October 2020, 12:40
Is it? A sign in a bathroom asking to pee inside the bowl is put there because it wasn’t previously clear enough where to pee, or because someone is stupid enough to think they can pee wherever they want?
N
8th October 2020, 13:02
If pee’ing in bathrooms was a competitive sport and the rules where you could pee were open to interpretation, i’m sure you’d find people pee’ing where it could gain them an advantage.
…but, y’know, its not, so…
TylerS
8th October 2020, 13:31
Clearly you’ve never been in a truck-stop bathroom. The evidence suggests that truckers are *extremely* competitive creatures by nature.
James Neutron (@phillyspur)
8th October 2020, 19:05
Have you ever entered a NFL stadium men’s room at halftime?
Jere (@jerejj)
8th October 2020, 14:30
@Pete @kartguy07 @jimfromus
What was unclear about the notes? For me, it war crystal clear where to do practice starts and more or less the same wording has been used for every event (not only every previous Russian GP) except for Austria, Britain, Monaco, and Abu Dhabi.
grat
8th October 2020, 15:27
Well, since the notes for Spa and Sochi were different, that kind of undermines your whole argument.
Spa:
Sochi:
F1oSaurus (@)
8th October 2020, 16:50
@jerejj Well they added
. Which makes sense because it was abundantly clear that it was unclear how far after the pit exit sign the start needed to be performed. This has now been made clear.
Plus a whole new section with a different location for practice starts on race day.
RagnarVirtanen (@ragnarvirtanen)
8th October 2020, 12:29
Cause everybody “out to get” latifi
Witan
8th October 2020, 12:44
Let’s hope the “ orange stripe” is visible and there is no odd interpretation of “adjacent” from the stewards.
S
9th October 2020, 3:07
Or a certain driver
tony mansell
8th October 2020, 12:59
That’s at least 2 rule changes/clarifications attributable to Ham. The ‘giving back a place being the other one post Spa 2008. I think MS was always looking for an edge in this respect and I think it was Rosberg who said Ham always knows exactly how much he can push a rule without getting unstuck. Not always obviously.
Joss (@racerjoss)
8th October 2020, 15:31
I thought of this as well. If the rule has to be “clarified” afterwards, I don’t understand how a punishment can be given.
W-K (@w-k)
8th October 2020, 19:19
If the powers that be insist on implementing the rules suddenly then they must ensure that the rule has not been broken earlier in that year and if it has, only ensure clarification to all teams and drivers without punishment for that instance or somehow punish the previous event and if necessary change the results. But that is never going to happen under the present rules.
Vettel had committed the same “crime” in Canada a few races earlier.
Jere (@jerejj)
8th October 2020, 14:30
Not really anything different. Still after the pit exit on the right-hand side.
GnosticBrian (@gnosticbrian)
8th October 2020, 15:22
Jere – “Still after the pit exit on the right-hand side” – really? Exactly how far around the circuit does your “after the pit exit” extend? All the way?
F1oSaurus (@)
8th October 2020, 16:38
@jerejj The instructions for practice starts on race day are actually completely different.
Jere (@jerejj)
8th October 2020, 20:30
@f1osaurus Yes.
”During each practice session, practice starts may only be carried out on the right-hand side prior to
the derestriction line indicated by the white grid marking. Drivers wishing to carry out a practice start
should stop on the right in order to allow other cars to pass on their left.”
”During the time the pit exit is open for the race, practice starts may be carried out after the end of
the pit wall and adjacent to the orange band on the right-hand side barrier. Drivers wishing to carry
out a practice start should stop on the right in order to allow other cars to pass on their left.”
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
8th October 2020, 15:23
Here is a crazy idea. No practice starts in the race weekend.
That would make people more prone to errors at the start and mix up the field a bit more.
Discuss.
ian dearing
8th October 2020, 15:59
Has been discussed before. Along with all the various suggestions around the driver having more control and less info. Always rejected by the majority of fans as the top drivers; with their experience and skill, will come out on top.
And I would suspect it is not of interest to those who run the sport either; for the same reason.
OldIron
8th October 2020, 16:32
Why limit the ban to starts? No practice at all (and just one lap for quallie, just in case anyone gets ideas about sneaking some practice laps in before the big one)
F1oSaurus (@)
8th October 2020, 16:47
So the new notes are:
18.1 is amended to add what was missing in the notes in Sochi. ie it mentions a maximum distance from the pit exit sign.
Plus 18.2 gives them a completely different location for practice starts on race day. Pretty much where Hamilton went.
All this confirms that Hamilton at worst should have gotten a warning or a stern speaking to and then the rules fixed to prevent a repeat misunderstanding.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
9th October 2020, 1:15
@f1osaurus no, you can’t not apply a penalty because what he did actually made sense even though it contravened the rules.
This is pretty logical, recognising the change isn’t a bad idea and making it clear in the notes.
But also, the notes are different at every race.
F1oSaurus (@)
9th October 2020, 6:50
@justrhysism What Hamilton did did NOT contravene the written rules. It contravened the INTENTION of the rules. The rules did not say how far after the pit exit sign the practice start needed to happen.
That’s what they added now with “prior to the derestriction line indicated by the white grid marking”
WarfieldF1 (@warfieldf1)
9th October 2020, 13:53
+1
& does he get his 10 secs back?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
8th October 2020, 17:37
Now the powers-that-be just need to make sure they actually follow the instructions, as they failed to do last race.
Simon (@simon999)
8th October 2020, 18:07
I think it’s positive they recognised the rule was unclear and updated before the next race, to avoid similar incidents in the future. Rules will never cover all eventualities, so it’s reasonable to expect they are updated when unclear or incomplete.
It could be debated all day whether Hamilton “deserved” the two 5 second penalties, given the lack of clarity in the rules, but its done with now. The one thing I would like to see going forward is a standard employed whereby if the rules don’t clearly cover the infringement (as was the case in this scenario) and the stewards cannot point to specific wording in either the regulations or the director’s notes that show a clear breach, that they stick to clarifications and warnings as much as possible. They massively impacted the race last weekend, based on a rule that was unclear and incomplete.
James Neutron (@phillyspur)
8th October 2020, 19:11
Those penalties were the equivalent of being ticketed for going too slow in a 70 MPH zone.
W-K (@w-k)
8th October 2020, 19:21
Be careful going to the Eifel, there are some stretches of the autobahn with minimum speed limits.
James Neutron (@phillyspur)
9th October 2020, 14:45
I’m sure those minimums are clearly posted for all to see.