In an unusual move, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has issued a detailed note following the controversial events surrounding the race.
The decisions of the race management and the commissioners, heavily criticized, required clarification after a series of penalties and incidents which sparked strong controversy.
Among the most notable sanctions of this Qatar Grand Prix, Lando Norris received a 10-second penalty for not slowing down under a double yellow flag. Double yellow flag regime deployed when the mirror of Alex Albon's Williams came loose and came to rest in the middle of the main straight.
Despite the obvious danger, race management did not bring out the safety car or implement a virtual safety car regime. The mirror therefore remained on the track for several laps before being hit by the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas. This high-speed impact caused debris to be scattered across the circuit. It was only after the punctures of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz that the safety car was finally sent to the track.
Read also: Lando Norris admits to having “screwed up” under the yellow flag regime
Faced with criticism, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) published a report to explain the decision-making process, attempting to justify race management that was more than criticized by many F1 observers and fans.
FIA explanations
Regarding Norris' penalty, the FIA noted that:
– The penalty was in accordance with the penalty guidelines communicated to teams on February 19, 2024.
– A double yellow flag violation is considered a serious compromise to safety, which is why such violations carry such a severe penalty.
Regarding the rearview mirror incident:
– Normal practice is that the safety car is not deployed if there is little debris, and outside the racing line.
– The amount of debris after a car hit the rear-view mirror and the punctures that occurred shortly afterwards forced the decision to use the safety car.
– A VSC would not have been a solution, as the cars remain scattered and there is not enough time for a marshal to clear the debris.
– The FIA is constantly reviewing its methods and processes and will analyze the specific scenario in more detail, and discuss it with the teams, to see if in the future a different action needs to be taken.
– During the second safety car period, the lights malfunctioned.
– All teams were informed verbally of the arrival of the safety car, and the new start therefore took place normally.
– While the reason for the malfunction was identified and corrected, out of an abundance of caution, the safety car was replaced in time for its third deployment.
Read also: F1 rankings after the 2024 Qatar GP; Ferrari still in the match
