ANALYSIS: How did the Australian GP end in utter chaos?
Hew Hoong Liang (Nathan)
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Despite an exciting start to the 2023 Australian Grand Prix (GP), the race was shaping into another formulaic end, with Max Verstappen comfortably leading the field.?
It all changed at Lap 53 when Kevin Magnussen tapped the wall exiting Turn 2, losing his rear-right wheel and spreading debris all over the racing line.?
Shortly after, the red flag was brought out —? and what happened next was utter chaos and confusion.?
If you were as puzzled as we were when watching the race, we are here to break down the chain of events according to the FIA Regulations (publicly available for download) and a bit of racing history.
The Second Red Flag?
Was it necessary, or should it have been a Safety Car??
The stewards would only suspend the race under a Safety Car if competitors or officials are placed in immediate physical danger on or near the track, but the circumstances do not make it necessary to end a race.?
With K Mag's crash, his trip to the wall sprayed tons of debris on track — including the loose right rear of his Haas. That's not something the marshalls can clear with F1 cars popping by every one to two minutes.?
The FIA Sporting Regulations (regulations in short) also clearly provide that a race will be suspended if competitors or officials are placed in immediate physical danger by cars running on the track, and the clerk of the course deems circumstances are such that the track cannot be negotiated safely, even behind the Safety Car.?
Early in the race, Alex Albon's crash into the barriers at Turn 7 necessitated a red flag due to the time it took to repair the barrier. Plus, the impact sent his car stationary on track (take a look at the onboard from Nico Hulkenberg's mirror).
Without a red flag, there is a risk that the F1 cars would crash into an incomplete barrier.?
Worse, they would hit the marshalls working on the repairs. The Guardian reported that a spectator marshall was killed by flying debris during the 2001 Australian GP.
Our verdict? As a matter of safety, it was likely the right decision to suspend the race with a red flag rather than ending the last two laps with a Safety Car.
In recent years, the FIA has opted to suspend races under red flags instead of ending them under a Safety Car. That was the case during the 2009 Australian GP, where Robert Kubica crashed after his battle with Sebastian Vettel.
Third Start (Second Restart)
Isn't it odd that the race was restarted after the red flag — with just two laps to go??The same thing happened during the 2021 Azerbaijan GP.?
At this restart:?
The restart was so chaotic that the lap was aborted before any cars could complete a timed sector. As a result, all cars were placed in the last position they occupied.?
According to the regulations, the order will be taken?at the last point at which it is possible to determine the position of all cars.?
After the race, Haas?protested this restart procedure?and contended that this should be determined by the order when the cars had crossed the Safety Car 2 Line.?
The FIA?dismissed their protest?since the GPS data showing the relative positions of the cars was unreliable to establish a proper grid position.
During the 2022 British GP, a similar situation occurred. None of the cars completed a timed sector and the stewards also found it hard to determine a proper racing order (which is similar to what happened during the 2022 British GP).?
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As a result, all cars were allowed to restart the race following their positions at the second restart (minus Ocon, Gasly, Sergeant and De Vries, who DNF due to their collisions).
Question: How do we prevent this from happening?
In the past, the team were allowed to have spare cars. They could use them to rejoin a race,?as seen in the 1998 Belgian GP.?
Unfortunately, this was banned in 2008. Since then, there have been no signs of its reintroduction despite?some calls for its return.
It's a bummer, but it does rely on established precedent.?
Sainz's penalty
Sainz's incident was reported to the stewards by the Race Director under Rule 54.1.
They decided that Sainz was at fault and gave the Spaniard a five-second time penalty.
Initially, this penalty didn't make sense. His collision with Alonso happened on Lap 57, a lap which many fans thought "didn't count".
The wording of Rule 54.1, however, is wide enough to cover?any?on-track incident or suspected breach of the regulations.?
Even if they didn't complete the lap (or a timed sector), the regulations granted this discretion to the stewards and race director. While it may seem unfair, the penalty was within the rules.?
According to the regulations, a race cannot last more than two hours. By the end of Lap 57, that two-hour time limit had lapsed?— so the stewards decided for all cars to complete one more racing lap behind the Safety Car.
So what does this say about the FIA?
The 2023 Australian GP is one of many examples that shows the FIA's inconsistency in applying the regulations. It creates controversy in the results and a lack of faith in the sporting body designed to ensure a smooth operation.?
Not long ago, the 2022 Italian GP finished under a Safety Car — a choice that divided many fans, with some questioning?whether a Safety Car finish was preferable.
Aldas, a Youtuber, argues that the?drivers were more at fault?for the chaos during the second restart.?
After what happened during the 2022 Italian GP, the teams and drivers met with the FIA and said they prefer to end races under green flag conditions.?
While this isn't an agreement or a hard-and-fast rule, this insistence on bravery in combat led to various incidents at the restart. You can hardly blame the FIA for this skirmish or their penalty on Sainz.?
For the sake of consistency, Sergeant should also have been penalised for his incident with De Vries.?
The sad part of this story is that some drivers who stayed out of trouble lost out on what could have been a great result. At the end of this chaotic restart, Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda were P4 and P5, respectively.?
All in all, there needs to be a clearer expectation on how the FIA applies the regulations. As the governing body of the most popular motorsports around the globe, the FIA should be more transparent in their decision-making process.
After all, they are supposed to look like a bunch of legends.?
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This newsletter was written by?Jonathan Khoo?and edited by Hew Hoong Liang (Nathan) (I know: they both have similar names ??). Let us know your thoughts about these races in the comments below!
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1 年It's one of those races that you probably don't know how it's going to end. Kinda cool cause it spices up the whole race cause there's that unknown element, but also kinda sucks if you are a supporter of a team/driver, who may have gone up the ranks during the race, only having to work on keeping that position during restart(s). I think these days, safety is the focal point when making decisions on races. As long as it's a uniformed decision and based on rules, rather than opinions, then I'm agreeable. In Albert Park, I felt all the decisions were fair and took into consideration the safety of the drivers but also the crowd too. I went to races from 1999 till the time I left in 2005. The proximity of the cars and the audience is crazy close. I still remember till today. Super cool cause you get to see them up close but scary when there's a crash. The race last week was still fun to watch, both racing and technical side. Poor Carlos tho...I'm happy for Lewis and hoping he found his mojo back. For him, the challenge isn't the car or the competitors, the challenge for him is George. Who's just really nailing it each GP against Lewis.