Verstappen backs “fair” decision not to arrange standing restart in Monaco

2022 Monaco Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen says Formula 1’s race director made the correct decision not to arrange a standing restart during yesterday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Very wet conditions at the beginning of the race meant a rolling start was performed instead of a standing start. The track had dried substantially when the race was later stopped and restarted, but again a rolling start was used.

Verstappen said the decision not to perform a standing restart was correct, because the track was not fully dry, and the differences in grip between different parts of the grid would have disadvantaged some drivers.

Both Red Bull drivers switched to the medium tyre compound for the restart, while their Ferrari rivals opted for hards. That could have given Verstappen an advantage had a standing start been arranged.

“We already did a few laps on the hard tyres, so they were a bit cold,” said Verstappen. “But at the end it didn’t really matter because it was going to be a rolling start.

“A standing start, of course, it might make a difference. But anyway, it wouldn’t have been fair if it would have been a standing start, just because of the difference in [grip]. The left side was still quite wet, that’s why it was a good call to do a rolling start.”

Verstappen took the restart in third place, where he finished. He said he realised it would be difficult to make the medium tyres last throughout the final stint.

“When I saw my mediums on the car, I thought ‘it’s going to be quite a tricky one to the end.’” he said.

“But luckily, my feeling, I had still decent tyres to the end. Of course they’re not in the best shape, but they felt alright. But when you’re following closely, you start wearing them more as well.”

A power cut during the heavy pre-race downpour interfered with the starting gantry and contributed to the decision not to use a standing restart, in addition to concerns over the variations in grip level on the track at the time.

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2022 Monaco Grand Prix

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Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
Claire Cottingham
Claire has worked in motorsport for much of her career, covering a broad mix of championships including Formula One, Formula E, the BTCC, British...

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9 comments on “Verstappen backs “fair” decision not to arrange standing restart in Monaco”

  1. Good to hear people from Red Bull say reasonable things for a change. Off course they did not lose out by them, and the FIA did look on the positive side (not on the right side of the line) for them yesterday.

  2. because the track was not fully dry, and the differences in grip between different parts of the grid would have disadvantaged some drivers.

    This is nonsense.
    They don’t start wet (-ish) races with a rolling start any other time after support races have dried a line, or when shadows have not allowed part of the grid to dry as much as other parts.

    Suck it up and race.

    1. Nuance. Look it up. Apply it.

      1. Consistency. Look it up. Apply it.

  3. I was glad they didn’t go for the show over sport standing restart.

    The fact that half the grid is going to be dirty (Or in this case wet) late on in a race was one of the reasons I dislike them doing them. When you have been racing for 60+ minutes the results over the last bit of the race shouldn’t come down to the lottery of who is on the clean (Or dry) side of the grid for a show over sport standing restart.

    It’s also why i’m so against the equally done for show over sport red flags with a standing restart with a handful of laps left to avoid ending under caution. Just turns the end of the race into a bit too much of a lottery.

  4. Have to agree with Max here, I mean half the grid would have been disadvantaged with the decision and this is Monaco.

  5. I heard somewhere that the reason for the rolling start was a defect on the starting lights.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      30th May 2022, 20:43

      That was for the delayed start. This was after Schumacher’s crash.

      1. @anunaki@petebaldwin is correct it was not for the delayed start but after Mick crash. The first one was nonsense as everyone was on the wet but RC didn’t dare it.

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