Webber derides “comical” Singapore reprimand

2013 Singapore Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

Mark Webber has hit out at the FIA’s decision to reprimand him following Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Webber was given a reprimand for “entering the track without the marshal’s permission” to get a lift from Fernando Alonso on the slow-down lap after his car broke down and caught fire at the end of the race.

“For [Alonso] and me to receive reprimands for our actions after the race it is comical to say the least,” Webber wrote on Twitter. “Great moment and fans loved it.”

Webber’s reprimand was his third of the year which earned him an automatic ten-place grid penalty for the Korean Grand Prix. Alonso was also reprimanded after the stewards judged he stopped in a dangerous position, forcing other drivers to take avoiding action.

Webber responded to claims he was told by marshals not to return to the track to get a lift from Alonso: “Contrary to reports, there was no interaction at all with any track officials after we put the fire out.”

CCTV footage showed Alonso stopped on the racing line to pick Webber up, and the Mercedes drivers dodged around the pair while Webber climbed onto the Ferrari.

Webber also pointed out that one of the Singapore Grand Prix stewards, Derek Warwick, had ‘hitched a lift’ in a similar fashion in the past.

2013 Singapore Grand Prix

Browse all 2013 Singapore Grand Prix articles

Image © Ferrari/Ercole Colombo

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...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

144 comments on “Webber derides “comical” Singapore reprimand”

  1. According to Autosport, Webber was espeially told by the stewards not to re-enter the track. If that’s true and he still did, he’s a fool and is in no position to complain.

    1. Webber specifically denies this, as stated in the article.

      It’s not generally a good idea for drivers to publicly comment on their own penalties, but I suppose being in his last year of F1, Mark feels there isn’t much the FIA will do about it.

    2. If Webber said there was no interaction, there was no interaction. He’s not trying to have the penalty reversed, he’s just telling it how it is/was.

  2. Surely if the reprimand was for “entering the track without the marshal’s permission”, then by tweeting “Contrary to reports, there was no interaction at all with any track officials after we put the fire out” he’s admitted he didn’t have permission and therefore the reprimand was 100% justified?

    1. Bingo. I like Webber, but it looks like he doesn’t know what he was penalized for.

      1. Or he knows and is only playing the fans´simpathy…

        1. as I said webber knows well to manipulate public opinion!

          1. @celeste @rossa So, did he get our sympathy? Because if that was the plan, it really isn’t working.

        2. @maroonjack No he hasn´t earn my simpathy. But is because I follow people and visit this site like this were commentors and Keith bother in having and impartial view and to interpretate the rules and have information that can complete the judgement on the action (the video), but most fans have not seem the video and only influence by what Marke Webber saids. And Mark Webber being and intellegent man knows this.

          @montreal95 No, not patronizing, see coment up about my comment on the fans. As for why was the reprimand and the grid penalty see the link I posted below.

          Not, no

          1. @celeste

            It was potentially a dangerous thing to do so both Alonso and Webber IMO deserved the reprimands (it’s sad that it led to a 10 place grid penalty for Webber as it was his 3rd for the year)… Reading by Webber’s tweets I feel,..

            1. he thinks the penalty was comical ( I completely disagree with him though he is entitled to his opinion )…

            2. he contradicts the claim made by Autosport that he was instructed by Marshals not to re enter the track and he ignored it… (There is no way of knowing the truth on this one unless there is solid evidence)..

            IMO he has expressed his opinion on the whole matter with which many people disagree (myself included).. but comments like “how he is trying to get the sympathy of F1 fans” shows a little too much dislike towards him… I wonder if you would be saying the same if it was Vettel at the center of this latest story…

          2. @puneethvb Don´t know what Vettel has to do in all this.

            (There is no way of knowing the truth on this one unless there is solid evidence)..

            According to journos that saw the original video the Marshall shouts and indicates to Webber not to get into the track. Just wish FOM will realease the video so we could get over this

          3. @celeste

            I used Vettel’s name because I think he is your favourite driver and probably Mark is one of the least liked drivers by you… I feel you would nt be making such a big deal out of it if it was Vettel in place of Mark…

            and as long as FOM does not release the so called video(which I doubt even exists) that shows the Marshal trying to stop Mark, it’s just one man’s word against other

          4. @puneethvb Sorry, but bringing a driver that has nothing to do with this discussion don´t seen to be a good argument to me.

            And just to be clear safety goes about that driver preference.

            Rules were created to ensure the safety of drivers and marshals, and Webber (and Alonso) are not about this rules.

        3. the anti-Webber brigade

          First I’ve ever heard of that group. It sounds suspiciously like you’re accusing people of bias to back up a weak defence for Webber’s actions.

          I advise you to not cross any streets from now on Mr. Warwick.

          Take away the sarcasm and that’s pretty sound advice if that street is just after a blind corner where cars could be travelling at 60 mph.

      2. look at FIA statement on Webber, it says he has been reprimanded exactly for that reason, “entering the track without marshal’s permission”.

    2. Even though I felt the gesture was nice, I have to agree with the stewards here. It was stupid from both of them – Alonso to stop where he did and Webber to run onto a very much live racetrack. Had Alonso pulled off the racetrack entirely I’d have maybe agreed with Webber, but as it was the FIA did the least they could to give him a slap on the wrist.

  3. Seriously Mark? I mean, If he for real?! Is so obvious and so dangerous what they did and he is wearing a martir´s mask (and of course fans will believe him because he is Saint Mark)…

    The reprimand has nothing to do with the “hitched lift” is all about how Alonso stopped in the middle of the track and Webber went running like a mad man in front of Formula 1 cars!!!!!!!!

    Warwick point of view in the reprimand:

    However, Warwick, one of the stewards in Singapore, argued that it was a “dangerous situation” and constituted a clear breach of the rules.

    “It is not health and safety gone mad,” said Warwick, who is also the president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club. “A driver could easily have been hurt.

    “I hope we’re not seen as killjoys. I want Formula One to be entertaining. I want it to be a spectacle. I’m a big fan of MotoGP and I wish we in Formula One could get closer to the drivers like they do in MotoGP.

    “We have become a bit sterile in many ways in Formula One. But we cannot put drivers at risk. If it had been done in a safer manner, then it might have been viewed differently but this was potentially very dangerous. You can’t have cars parked in the middle of a corner.”

    1. I couldn’t agree more with that statement, and I’m glad that Warwick sees it that way. It wasn’t the lift that was the problem, it was the way in which it was carried out. It would have been catastrophic if Rosberg or Hamilton hit Webber or Alonso’s car, and the reason for it would have been the way in which it was carried out. Alonso shouldn’t have parked his car at the exit of a corner on a street circuit where visibility is hampered by the barriers.

    2. @celeste yeah… I like that Warwick points out that had Fernando stopped closer to the wall or something, they’d have let them go…

      But, yeah… as a MW fan and all, it was pretty dangerous. But I can understand his frustration, but well…

      1. @fer-no65 The thing is as I read MW tweet I don´t see frustation, just something that at least I see like misleading information or opinion to his followers…

    3. it wasn’t that dangerous like some are suggesting. if it was, he would have been hit or nearly hit, which he wasnt, the other drivers are alert to sudden slowdowns on cool down laps, and dont drive into another car on cool down lap and I doubt they would drive into a person on the track – they would take avoiding action easily as everyone is going slow, It was so momentary and Webber obviously had a look to see whats coming. you could see Hamilton went comfortably around the Ferrari. its blown out of proportion. its nothing compared to having marshalls on the track with drivers ignoring yellow flags, which we have seen before.
      People are saying Webber got reprimand for entering the track without marshalls permission… is that a rule? how long has it been around? and does it include cool down lap?

      1. Did you see Rosberg passed Alonso on the left? Right were Webber was standing.
        Just because it didn’t result in a near fatal accident doesn’t mean that it wasn’t dangerous.
        The thing is, had it gone wrong, Webber would have been looking at spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. At best. Which isn’t exactly worth it, when all it took was for Alonso to park on the run off area instead of right in the middle of the circuit. Just after a corner. On a street circuit. They weren’t exactly playing it safe.

      2. You don’t have to be hit or nearly hit for it to be dangerous. If I walk into a lion enclosure then that’s pretty dangerous regardless of whether I’m nearly mauled, slightly mauled, eaten, or actually completely untroubled.

        1. Excellent example

    4. Dennis the menace (@)
      25th September 2013, 0:34

      ooohhhh it was dangerous (sarcastic tone) Bunch of sooks.

  4. Webber got the reprimand for entering the track without marshall’s permission, so I can’t see how not having an interaction with stewards is an excuse. Neither does someone else having a lift have anything to do with this, Webber didn’t get his reprimand for that.

    So I think Mark’s complaint is populist and silly. Running to the track like that was potentially very dangerous and Mark should no better. Receiving only a reprimand is a light punishment in my opinion.

    1. *know better

  5. I can’t believe how much Webber is missing the point in this case. The actual lift itself would have been fine had he asked permission and had Alonso stopped on the run-off area of turn 7.

    In my opinion, this is just Webber trying to make it look a bit better for himself by pretending the actual lift was the problem. Webber has 700,000+ followers on Twitter, most of them having absolutely no clue that the penalty didn’t refer to the actual lift itself. So if he can make it looks as if Derek Warwick and co are the bad guys, everything works out for him.

    1. I really don’t see how it “works out” for him. Most of the uninformed people were already at his side, so he gains very little, but he’s losing a bit of respect from the real F1 fanatics who actually know what’s going on.

    2. @andae23 Webber is a nice guy but, just like Helmut Marko, he has his own agenda and he acts a bit like a prima donna now and then. I think that his ‘honesty’ is often just him playing his game. But I still am gonna miss that next year.

      1. @girts It’s just so uncharacteristic for him to twist a story like that. He certainly lost some of his credibility, but still, apparently he is not afraid to voice his opinion – even though I disagree with it in this case. Going to miss that next year….

      2. @girts Very well said. Webber will be missed – he’s a good driver and a likable guy – but the melodrama won’t be missed.

    3. @andae23 Yes . I like Mark but this is absolutely silly of him to try and deny it . It was unwarranted for him to jump to the middle of the track

    4. @andae23 I’m not defending Mark on this but if he got a penalty for entering the track (after the race was over) why didn’t Bottas got one when his engine failed in Hungary and also ran across the track to the pits in the middle of the race?

      This is also yet another case of inconsistency by the stewards who react quite differently depending on who makes the offence, if they’d given Valtteri a meaningful penalty back then maybe Mark would’ve stayed out of the track when asking for a lift.

      1. @mantresx Two things: first, we don’t know if Bottas was given permission to run across the track from a marshall – if so, then he had every right to run across the track. Second, you could argue he got out of the car and then he ran straight-away, so he hadn’t ‘rejoined’ the track after the incident. So we can’t really compare the two cases because we simply don’t know the details of Bottas’ retirement.

      2. @mantresx Good point about Bottas – he did have permission from the marshals to cross the track, though.

        1. Fair enough, although it seems a bit irresponsible from the marshals when there’s a bridge just a couple hundred meters away.

  6. Everything would be much better if they did it 10 meters forward and to the right where they would be more visible to the other driver’s. It wouldn’t be “comical” so comical if Lewis or Nico hit Webber and make a tragical stupid situation. Webber is a bitter guy who didn’t accomplish nill in a (let’s suppose that he is) same car as 4 time WDC Vettel.

    1. Agreed @nidzovski

      Personally, that’s why I think Alonso should have got a reprimand for parking his car on the racing line in a blind corner, and Webber should have been let off.

      I can’t believe how Webber and Alonso are completely missing the point on twitter – as well as all of the replies to the tweet! I must be going mad.

      1. When did Alonso tweet about this? I havent seen anything of as such from Alonso

    2. Nico wouldn’t hit webber… nico went by webber almost without turning the wheel, he chose to went by close…

      They are F1 drivers, the go by the pit stop crew inches between them and the car…

  7. For sure, fans loved it. I loved it as well. Unfortunately the pick-up wasn’t as safe as it should have been, which is why the reprimands were deserved.

    It’s obvious why Webber and Horner oppose the penalty but I believe that FIA did the right thing by punishing the drivers. However, it would be wrong to discourage “taxi rides” just because Alonso and Webber didn’t do it the right way this time. They’re fun and they add a touch of romance to the sport that sometimes feels a bit too clinical.

  8. Don’t forget as well, Singapore is a night race and the RBR overalls are a dark blue colour. Hardly what you’d call high visibility, especially when drivers are on a slowdown lap and might be concentrating more on picking up rubber, waving to the crowd, or changing some setting on the steering wheel. Especially if they’re distracted suddenly by a bright red Ferrari stopped in the middle of the track. I’m not saying it was the most dangerous thing I’ve ever seen, but there was certainly the potential there for an accident. Two cars had to swerve, one narrowly missing hitting Webber. We’ve seen the kind of damage these cars can do to personnel just at the low speeds in the pitlane, so a car doing 100km/h is not something to be taken lightly. And these are purpose built racing cars, not the kind of car you have on the high street with bumpers and pedestrian-friendly deformable structures. They’re designed to go fast and protect the driver from hitting brick walls, not to prevent injuries to reckless Australians desperate to generate a little bit of controversy.

    I like Mark Webber, but I think in this instance he’s totally wrong and needs to have a think about the implications had there been an accident. Not just for him but for the sport as a whole. We’ve seen the sort of knee-jerk reaction from the FIA to a pitlane reporter being hit by a wheel, so you can only imagine what the response would be to one of the most popular drivers on the grid being mown down and hospitalised live on TV. All for the sake of creating a certain image.

    I don’t want to see this kind of thing disappear from F1. In fact, I want to see cars stopping, I want to see drivers taking off their helmets, I want to see burnouts. I want to see Fernando plant ‘Alonso-Land’ flags in the gravel traps. What I definitely don’t want to see though, is any of those guys getting hurt for the sake of it. F1 is dangerous enough without adding to it by having drivers running around unexpectedly on the track, or cars stopped right on the racing line on a blind corner. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do these things, and in this instance, Alonso and Webber sadly chose the wrong way. They need to understand that, acknowledge that, and move on.

    1. I agree with this comment

    2. Well said. As much as I like Webber and find these displays of camaraderie to be enjoyable, I’m very glad Webber is still here to complain about the reprimand.

    3. Wow – well done, sir.

    4. 100% agree @mazdachris . Well said.

    5. reckless Australians desperate to generate a little bit of controversy.

      I agree with everything except this ^

      It should read “reckless Australians & Spaniards desperate to generate a little bit of controversy.”
      ;)

  9. You’re joking, isn’t it? C’mon! The race was ended, the racers was driving slowly and everybody could see the stopped car. It wasn’t during the race.
    You can say that with the rules on the hand this is the punish but at the end it was dangerous for nobody and it was a good gesture between two rivals and friends.
    The sport needs more gestures like that.

    1. Have you seen the video?

    2. the racers was driving slowly

      Around 80 km/h in this corner. A speed usually deadly for pedestrians when hit.

      everybody could see the stopped car

      With “everybody” you mean those that can see through solid walls?

    3. before to write read fluently the FIA statement on reprimands and watch the video!
      it wasn’t penalty for “beautiful gesture” but for how they did it.

      1. Before to write read my post my friend, It’s sorter and more clear than the FIA statement ;-). As I said “You can say that with the rules on the hand this is the punish” I have no complains about the punish but I think there are people that are exaggerating the action.
        I saw the video and all the drivers could see the stopped car and everybody could overtake without any problem or any sudden turn.
        C’mon guys it’s not so serious!

        1. It looks dangerous enough to me. It shouldn’t have been any danger like this in the first place.

        2. Turn 7 is a blind corner… I don’t see how anyone can say it’s not dangerous.

        3. Whether something is dangerous is not about what actually happened, but what could happen. Nobody got hurt, and all is well. However, the potential for a very nasty accident was certainly there, and it was something that could be completely avoided by both drivers. With that said, both reprimands are perfectly fine. But the only reason it gets blown up so much is because it’s Webber’s third reprimand, earning him a penalty. Would it have been such a big deal for everyone if he hadn’t gotten a penalty? Probably not. So whoever Webber wants to blame for this, in the end it was his own fault.

          During the 2003 British Grand Prix, the track got invaded by a priest running around the track. All the drivers avoided him and nobody got hurt in the end. Was that not dangerous by your standards? I mean, all the drivers could see him, and all were able to steer around him. So, to use your own words, it wasn’t that serious.

          1. F1 raíces should be banned. It is a dangerous affair that can kill people.
            If ( big If) we assume some risks then stopping the car and jumping into it should be acceptable when the drivers around are ” super license” holders on a cool down.
            Or we should ask to reduce sector times by 25% at least under yellow flags. 50% under double yellow flags. That IS dangerous.
            Street circuits? Eau rouge? Out of the calendar…
            And ultimately go bed earlier out of boredom….

  10. I see many people – here and on social media sites – saying the FIA were wrong to reprimand Webber for taking a lift from Alonso.

    What I’m not entirely clear on is whether these people are under the mistaken impression Webber was given the reprimand because of the lift, when the FIA say it was because he went onto the track without permission, or because they are aware of that and think the FIA are just using a detail in the rules to punish Webber for doing something they disapprove of but haven’t outlawed.

    Thoughts?

    1. I think these are people that only look at the headline and then comment without reading the full article.

      1. I agree. The comments in the original article show that 90 % of users bashing stewards didn’t understand that a) Webber was given only a reprimand b) Alonso got exactly the same punishment and c) neither of them got, according to FIA, their reprimand for giving or receiving a lift, even though all these facts were in the article.

        Instead of clinging to their original opinions, some of the users later admitted they jumped to conclusions before reading the entire article , which kind of honesty I appreciate a lot.

      2. Let’s be honest, headlines like “Webber to get grid penalty after lift from Alonso”, while technically correct, didn’t exactly help to inform the public :)

        Reading the content of the article? Bah! “Ain’t nobody got time for that”! ;)

    2. @keithcollantine I think it’s largely the latter. Have the drivers involved in the various other “lift” incidents over the years sought permission from the marshals before going to hitch a ride? Or are we talking “track” as in “between the white lines” as opposed to “on the wrong side of the safety fence?”

      I think people are also reacting to the fact that – because of Webber already having collected two reprimands earlier in the season – he’s been given a ten-place grid penalty for what was a fairly innocuous post-race stunt. I know you dislike footballing analogies, but I suppose it’s the equivalent of a player being given two “soft” yellow cards, which equals an automatic red.

    3. I’ve been wondering the same thing. I just pulled a certain F1 journo up on it too, he hasn’t replied yet.

      The penalties are actually fair and justified imho, and that has nothing to do with the lift itself.

    4. I do wonder whether this would’ve caused as much fuss if it hadn’t resulted in a grid penalty. Nobody seems bothered about Alonso’s reprimand, to be honest. Just have to remember that Mark’s grid drop was just as much a punishment for bumping into Rosberg in Bahrain and speeding under yellows in Canada.

      1. Well the reprimand is the least a steward can do. So I do believe that if it wasn´t because of the grid penalty we wouldn´t be talking about it…

    5. seriously people, do you think we would have got the original taxi moment (silverstone 1992) if Senna hadnt done the right thing and kicked the track marshall vigourously that was trying to remove him from atop of Mansell’s williams preventing him a lift back to the pits? Listen to what we’re saying: Mark Webber was told by some marshall not to re-enter the track….how old is Mark Webber again? and why does a marshall think that he has the right to be telling a veteran Formula 1 racer what he can or cant do in the vicinity of a circuit when a race is over? the world has gone mad xD

      1. OK, I see your point; but how do you account for Hamilton’s view of the event then? He was the one in the car, who had to avoid the guys; and it seems his views differ from that of Webber. So you need someone to make a choice between drivers’s opinion. It’s not like if all (experienced) drivers would agree…

        1. LH’s comments about the incident, being “shocked” and all, are maybe not so innocent. Although SV’s WDC and RBR’s WCC are seemingly untouchable, LH is in the fight for a position in the WDC with FA and MW, and Merc with Ferrari in the WCC. So he had a good reason to push for penalties here.

      2. @me262 Senna and Mansell may be the most famous one, but it wasn’t the original, that was in Mexico in 1986. ;)

        http://wtf1.co.uk/room-for-one-more-f1s-greatest-taxi-rides/

      3. @me262

        why does a marshall think that he has the right to be telling a veteran Formula 1 racer what he can or cant do in the vicinity of a circuit when a race is over?

        Because the rules give him the right to do exactly that.

        1. @keithcollantine
          Sure, I agree; but I think @me262 was rather questioning the validity of that rule (not the fact it exists); or that’s at least my interpretation of her/his post…

        2. @keithcollantine ok without falling back on ‘it’s a rule so dont question it’ the question is: what sort of insight can a ‘marshall’ that could be unemployed long term and have an IQ of 46 for all we know can provide Mark Webber on whether it is safe or not safe for Mark to step back on to the circuit which just 3 minute ago, he was travelling at speeds of 300 km/h and mind you, is a professional racing driver with over 200 gp’s under his belt? in what way this marshall better qualified to make this assesment? because he did some marshall training the day before the grand prix?

          1. I do not think you have to be insulting the marshall to make your point, and you don’t need to be pedantic. What does IQ has to do? Do you have Webber’s? Do you need to have a high IQ to drive an F1 car?
            What does being unemployed for a long time has to do with the question? Does it decrease one’s ability to evaluate the safety of a situation to be unemployed for a long time? Or are you using it as an insult, thinking it decreases one value?

            Whatever experience you may have, you can make mistake and without doubt Webber made one by crossing the racing line in a corner. Your comment, even if aggressive, does not answer Hamilton’s view of the event. But given your previous post, I actually do not care about your answer.
            Good bye.

          2. @me262
            Hamilton said he would’ve ran over Webber, if Mark was running where he drove (that means, if Webber decided to start running over the track 4 seconds later than he did). So the answer is yes, this imaginary marshall with an IQ of 46 knows better than Webber.

          3. @me262 The idea that someone with an intelligence level insufficient to perform basic domestic chores could become an F1 track marshal is insulting, as is the bizarre dig about being ‘long term unemployed’, and your assumptions about the amount of training they have shows considerable ignorance.

            This article may go some way towards redressing the latter:

            Behind the scenes with a track marshal at the Singapore Grand Prix

          4. @me262 marshalls are fans like you and I, that lend their time for the love of their sport. Whether you think the reprimand was right or wrong you should be respectful of their job and sacrifice; specially when one of then lost his life earlier this year in Canada.

        3. @keithcollantine insulting and bizarre it is, the truth more than often gives way for political correctness and empathy. Lets be serious, give me nascar/indycar proffessionals and I’d be singing a different tune. F1 marshalls are in majority average units …little more than fans that want to be involved in their local grand prix every year and get the best seat in the house (and be in a position to get an autograph or 2). But hey it is a bit tough, after all they do a great job…and arent we all in debt to them, for the absolutely phenomenal job that they do…not to mention the time that they put in. They are the real unsung heroes cough cough oh please lol

          1. @me262 Whatever your opinion of marshals, the fact remains if Webber did not have their permission to go on the track, he’s the one in the wrong.

          2. @me262 While i’m not at Turn 7, i can assure you, none of the marshals are out there looking for a ‘feel good’ power trip. We are all trained to always look out for safety especially to our fellow marshals and drivers.

            We may be average joes having normal jobs during the rest of the year, but it is our job over the weekend to make sure everyone returns home safe at the end of the grand prix.

            If you choose to see all of this as being politically correct, i can’t stop you. Perhaps you should try officiating at your local race track.

      4. why does a marshall think that he has the right to be telling a veteran Formula 1 racer what he can or cant do in the vicinity of a circuit when a race is over?

        Because that’s his job, and because he DOES have the right to tell him what to do (based on the rules), and also the right to give reprimands.

        You know, they’re called “marshalls” for a reason.

      5. It’s people like @me262 who can absolutely ruin the fun at a racetrack for everyone. People who disregard marshals, who spend their free time making sure races, competitors and spectators are safe and usually know the rules a whole lot better than you’d think, are the reason why people stop enjoying being a marshal.

        My dad was a marshal at Zandvoort for 10 years, and usually, the drivers have a lot of respect for any marshal and team members know to listen to them. It’s the audience who go around yelling ‘my freedom!’ when they’re told standing near an opening in the fence is dangerous, or standing near an access road isn’t allowed. It’s a shame Mark Webber cared more for hitching a ride than the safety of himself and others and the marshals’ permission.

        ‘Grown men’ can get themselves hurt in a flash of stupidity as well as children.

        1. @npf1 thats where the actions of senna were validated: sometimes rules are to broken, more when it saves you a 40 minute walk back to the pits :) Marshalls will be Marshalls and as most humans will do, they will generally try to excercise as much (and more) authority from their positions as track marshalls as they can marshally muster… great story down at the pub, how many times would have that marshall told the story of the day senna karate kicked him? If I was a marshall I would prevent SV from stepping on the tarmac due to the danger of getting hit by a car, wouldnt we have a great championship then aye? ok Im rambling now.. ;)

          1. @me262

            sometimes rules are to broken, more when it saves you a 40 minute walk back to the pits :)

            I highly doubt that there wasn’t another way for Webber to get back to the pit. Usually, there will be scooters, vans or even pick up trucks along a race track, which he could have waited for. Or, you know, Alonso could have stopped on a safe place.

            Maybe you haven’t read about the death of Tom Pryce. Sure, that happened at racing speeds, but humans don’t take well to being hit at 60/80 kph either.

            Marshalls will be Marshalls and as most humans will do, they will generally try to excercise as much (and more) authority from their positions as track marshalls as they can marshally muster…

            This is exactly the kind of butthurt response I heard at Zandvoort for years. ‘You’re just playing police officer’. Of course it is impossible for you and the people you like to actually put yourself at danger or not follow the rules; everyone else is out to get you.

            Go to a local race track and get an introduction from either track or paddock marshalls. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to help local motorsports if you sign up. Plus, you seem like the kind of guy who might learn a thing or two in the process.

      6. “and why does a marshall think that he has the right to be telling a veteran Formula 1 racer what he can or cant do in the vicinity of a circuit when a race is over?”

        This is how bad accidents starts, by totally disregarding the rules that are set from many years of hard experience.

    6. @keithcollantine It seems to be because people have (a) misunderstood the reason for the reprimand (entering the track as opposed to the lift) and (b) the fact that they assume that the 10 place grid drop for the next race is the punishment for the reprimand and not because he has now accumulated three reprimands this season (i.e. failing to understand that the reprimand is the punishment for this actions in Singapore).

    7. I actually think that on these types of issue the FIA has generally been quite understanding of the fine line between applying rules and entertaining fans. For example I don’t believe that Hamilton was punished for doing ‘doughnuts’ at the end of the British Grand Prix in 2009 or Alonso for picking up a flag at Barcelona this year. In both cases I think the FIA could have punished the drivers but applied common sense.

      I think that the difference in this case is the fact that both Alonso and Webber acted recklessly and therefore common sense actually suggested some form of punishment, a reprimand is the lowest level of punishment and therefore I don’t think the FIA or Stewards can be faulted here. We’ll never know whether the stewards would have overlooked the matter if Alonso had stopped safely and Webber hadn’t run so close to the moving Mercedes but I suspect they would have based on the other examples above.

    8. It’s all over but the shouting as they say. Webber and Alonso were reprimanded for unsafe actions, not the lift. The stewards were forced to respond because of the dangerous way this was done. Wonder if anyone tipped the stewards off about Webber nearly being run over or Alonso nearly being wrecked into while stopped on the racing line around a blind corner. If the stewards viewed any of the available video footage they would realize two things, the danger involved and the fact that once the public viewed the videos everyone would know whether they had taken action or not.

      I love the lift spectacle and I really like Webber. I’m very glad Webber is still here to complain about the reprimand. Too bad Alonso didn’t pull off the side of the track to pick him up, but Webber had already run out to his car and it’s all hindsight anyway. I read somewhere the FIA were going to advise against lifts. That doesn’t sound like an outright ban. Maybe this incident will serve notice that in the future any lifts should be carried out in a safer manner. Liability-wise, the FIA could likely ban the practice altogether if they wished to and it could be justified. It certainly wouldn’t be very popular with the fans and I hope that does not happen.

    9. Interesting responses so far. There doesn’t seem to be many people saying the FIA are using technicalities to punish Webber and Alonso for the lift.

      One of the curious things with this story had been how swiftly some people jumped to conclusions about Webber’s penalty, then changed their minds once they saw the various videos.

      But it bears pointing out the specifics of Webber and Alonso’s penalties were detailed in the original article on the subject. I think they were hastily overlooked by some people.

  11. Hi,

    Given the images, I think the whole think was dangerous indeed. However, it could have been done in a much safer way with minimal changes: Alonso could have stopped out of the racing line (e.g. there was space after the kerbs, even if Raikkonen was somewhat in the middle) and Webber would not have had to walk on the racing line either…
    We somehow have to take into account the words by Hamilton, who was involved and had to avoid the pair Alonso/Webber…

    It’s a bit of a pity that this nice pick-up was done in such an unsafe way, which somehow ends up spoiling it and creating useless discussions (and a bad atmosphere around F1). Would have been so nice and good otherwise!

    1. @JS That’s a very good comment.

      I also think there is too much hullabaloo around this incident and I really hope that this wasn’t the last “taxi ride” that we saw in F1.

  12. I think if it wasn’t his 3rd reprimand and all he got was a telling off mark, fans, journalists etc would not be too bothered by it. Yes it was fun to see him getting a lift back. But it wasn’t as much fun seeing him run on to the track while other cars tool avoiding action. It followed an incident in gp2 hours earlier where two cars hit each other after the race on the in lap. Proving the fia know the track still has potential for serious injury even after the chequered flag. I think the correct severity of punishment was right, sadly for Mark that was one too many in the season. It also stops it becoming a common activity. But at the end of the day it was an entertauning thing to see as are most things in sport that flaunt the rules!

  13. webber even didn’t get right for what exactly he and his friend were punished! Absolutely irresponsible behaviour!
    But webber knows well how to manipulate public opinion and now after his tweets his fans will start to write the real rubbish about how FIA’s stewards are stupid to punish for such a beautiful gesture! They’ll never get it wasn’t punishment for gesture itself but how it was done.
    My point after seen the footage the punishment was even too weak.

    1. But webber knows well how to manipulate public opinion

      This is sooooooooo true!

  14. Classic Webber!

    He misses the point entirely as to why he has been given penalty. It is not for getting a lift on Alonso’s sidepod mate. But for running on the track like a madman forcing the Mercedes drivers to take quick avoiding action.

    This reminds me of his behavior after the Malaysian GP 2013 when he says to Vettel “Multi-21 Seb, what happened?” while he himself ignored team orders in Brazil 2012, Silverstone 2011.

    Webber should join Big Boss or some reality show. He is very smart and knows how to cater to the unintelligent crowds and move their opinion towards supporting him.

  15. “while he himself ignored team orders in Brazil 2012, Silverstone 2011.”

    Why do you people ignore the cause/root of the problem?

    Marks problems with following RB’s requests came after A/ he was blamed by the boss for causing the collision in Turkey, when every man and his dog knew it was Vettels fault. Then, Silverstone 2010, when they pulled his new front wing off his car and put it on his main rival/teammates car while both involved in a tight championship battle, with no explanation.

    1. You forgot the teamorders Vettel received in 2009, wich is why he wanted to clear Webber in 2010 when he got the chance. Vettel was actually the first to receive (and obey) teamorders in 2009, Webber didn’t obey any of them, or made a fuss out of it, while he didn’t even like the front wing.

  16. In F1 everything is “knee-jerk”. From stewards to FIA to the fans! I would wait for a while before bashing Webber here. Probably nobody has asked him his point of view. Remember that twitter is a one way road. Even when Webber got the penalty, I waited & didn’t bash the stewards right away.
    So lets wait till somebody asks Webber in an interview about this view of the incident.

    Yes the penalties do seem legit. @keithcollantine

  17. Where’s that photo from the 90’s of THREE people getting a lift!? I agree, it was a dangerous move. I think the FIA is being kind of cool about it, basically saying that lifts are ok, just don’t do it in the racing line.

    1. They’re being pretty chill about it, it’s just a shame that the third reprimand meant a 10-place penalty for Webber.

  18. He’s right, it is comical.

    Much like the Adverts on this site! I’m sick of my screen been taken over by them! Ads for non paying visitors is one thing, but they are just too intrusive on this site.

    1. you don’t think Keith deserves a little income for the exhausting work put into this site??

      there is a way around the ad’s but I will stay mum on that.

    2. You could donate. I’m pretty sure there would be no adverts on the site if it could be done without it, but servers need to be paid, webspace, domain names, etc. And looking at the articles, especially the radio transcripts, I can imagine Keith doesn’t want to do it for absolutely free either.

    3. You have been waiting for that opportunity to do a link to your annoyance of the ads haven’t you? It’s a good one though.

      If you don’t like the ads, you can donate or look at other websites.

    4. The ads aren’t so bad, worth it for the good content.

  19. I can imagine the comments if it had been Vettel instead of Webber: “What? Only 10 places? The FIA has been bought by Red Bull! They should have banned Vettel for life, taken his 3 world championships, and kicked Red Bull out of the sport forever! What a farce!”

    1. Haha, you can see things like that in the comment sections of spanish websites. There were people seriously outraged that Vettel didn’t get a sanction after Alonso complained about his red light on the Italian GP, even if there’s no rule about it.

      Funny stuff.

  20. Oh dear Mark, it’s your last year in F1 and your going with a whimper rather than a bang, it’s probably best just to enjoy the last few months rather than try and stir it.

    But then again you have a history of telling people how unfair it’s been throughout your F1 career so why stop now?

  21. @hotbottoms
    Is that the same imaginary marshall that told webber to run 4 seconds earlier than when he would have been hit by Ham? couldnt have he had an IQ that was slightly higher ;)

    1. @me262 Just stop. No one deserves to read your drivel.

      1. @guilherme I may be generalising, there are some good honest hard working marshalls out there. Its just the majority are on a power trip, just personal experiences from track days. I apologise to you sir for my drivel

  22. Webber has tweeted (paraphrased): ‘I can trust the drivers at 200mph in race, so I can trust them at 60mph’.

    It is not the other driver’s jobs to be blooming trusted on the cool down lap – it’s Webber’s job to stay the hell off the race track so he doesn’t put them in a position to be ‘trusted’. Webber makes it almost their responsibility to avoid him.

    I’m really dissapointed in webber, after all his strong words on safety (after the tyre issues for example), to not hold his hands up after an error of judgement. Marshals struggle hard enough to convince drivers to stay off the track, and his actions just teach young drivers that it is fine to do so.

    As for people questioning the marshal’s authority. To marshal a GP requires a depth of training and experience way beyond the ignorant comments already posted. You do not get to marshal a GP without experience. Marshals will happily put themselves in harm’s way to try to keep everyone else safe. To suggest it is just a power trip stopping them allowing the driver onto a live race track (it is still live on the cool down lap) is ignorant and patronising in the extreme. Check your facts before you mouth off.

  23. Webber is really starting to become of my most disliked drivers… like realky, the way he manipulates the majority of the F1 fanbase into supporting him/getting sympathy from then by constantly playing the victim is just ugh. Like in Sepang 2013, what right does he have to complain and bitch about Vettel disobeying team orders considering he himself disobeyed team orders not once, but twice before (Silverstone 2011, Interlagos 2012)? Thankfully the members of F1Fanatic are generally more sensible, but sadly the same can’t be said for most of those watching F1 so Webber will continue getting sympathy and support he doesn’t deserve >_>

    1. become one of my most*

      1. really*
        sympathy from them*

  24. Its a shame Webber has to come out and speak in this way about the incident. Did he not hear what Hamilton said? or see the viddeo of him taking avoiding action? how lucky he was that he didn’t run him over? Although the stewards explained that there is nothing wrong with towing your mate back to the pits and the fans getting a kick out of it, it is in the “MANNER” he went about doing it. Alonso surely knows he stopped the car clearly in the wrong spot, a few cars had to take avoiding action to get around. Had they done it in a safer area and pick him up off the track area, which shows there clearly was area to do so, we would be talking about this right now. Stewards did the right thing, mark is complaining about the “non issue”. Give your head a shake Mark.

    1. +1 you beat me to it. Mark is throwing the toys out of the cot a lil, I think that’s just frustration from the fact he’ll probably be starting from 14th in Korea

  25. So many insults, so little thought! I love how everyone is an expert on this and so quick to put MW down. The fact is, the reprimand was essentially given because of where Alonso stopped, that’s what caused the dangerous situation. The video even shows Seb and Kimi slowing down after seeing a waving Webber and then Alonso sees him last minute and pulls up in what was a potentially dangerous spot. In hindsight, I’m sure he would of pulled over closer to the edge of the track and Webber would of jumped on the car from the otherside. Yes it was a little foolish and shouldn’t be done again. Alonso and Webber are both shocked by the reaction, because they didn’t see the potential hazards from where they were, I don’t believe either are putting a spin on it or thought of it as particular dangerous, it’s more so everyone else jumping up and down, even other drivers are supporting them. But instead of everyone is throwing stones, read between the lines! It’s not about the taxi ride, it’s not about the reprimand, it’s about the severity of the penalty. The 10 place grid penalty is unnecessary. A fine would be suffice.

    Oh and yes I know why Webber gotta the penalty, 3 strikes! Still my opinion stands

    1. A fine would be suffice.

      Drivers can’t be punished by fines anymore. That’s something the drivers themselves pushed for.

      A reprimand is the lowest possible action.

    2. The fact is, the reprimand was essentially given because of where Alonso stopped, that’s what caused the dangerous situation

      That is why Alonso got a penalty.

      Webebr got a penalty because he ran on the track in the path of oncoming cars. Now, you could argue that Webber had to run like that because Alonso parked carelessly. But if that was so, why did Webber go around the car and sit on the left side-pod? He could have chosen to sit on the right side-pod which was closer to him. It would have been faster and Nico Rosberg wouldn’t have had to take a sharp turn to avoid him.

      A fine would be suffice

      The drivers themselves (through GPDA – of which Webber is a past director, I think) abolished the monetary fines because the super-license fee was hiked a lot last year.

  26. Alot of anti-Mark sentiment comments on this post but we all know you can argue a certain premise to justify your opinion on a driver.

    @keithcollantine – back to your original post re: Webber’s penalty was handed down in two fold. One- the fact he put himself in a dangerous position- yes you can trust the guys at 200 miles but they will still take off your legs at 60 miles if you are on track when you should not be and 2) Its his third reprimand- then needed to make the example. The automatic “3 strikes you are out” is not fair but they know he seems to be letting off some steem and dont want it out of control.

    If you think about it logically Alonso is probably more at fault as he pulled over but could of driven by. It shows the “lift” was not really an issue, but how Mark has had a few issues with them this year!!

    As “old school” the Mansell pick up Senna is one of the best memories I have as a kid- I dont think it should be ruled out but they need to be smart if they do it- an F1 car on a warm down is still fast isnt it??

  27. Didn’t anyone watch the GP2 race and see the accident on the slowdown lap.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGi7H9rSVHI

  28. Look at this picture (“they too were punished” said Webber… :P)

    http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/3016/izoi.jpg

    Richie Ghinter driving a Honda RA 272, Innes Ireland & Jo Bonnier “riding it”. It was in Clemont-Ferrand, 1965 (French G.P.)

  29. No interaction at all? The video seems to show otherwise: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotonline/9878152885/

    1. Sadly the video doesn’t continue! Webber took a lot of time to get out of the car.
      @journeyer

  30. For the record, Article 30.9 of the sporting regulations:

    During the period commencing fifteen minutes prior to and ending five minutes after every practice session and the period between the commencement of the formation lap which immediately precedes the race and the time when the last car enters the parc fermé, no one is allowed on the track, the pit entry or the pit exit with the exception of :

    a) Marshals or other authorised personnel in the execution of their duty.

    b) Drivers when driving or on foot, having first received permission to do so from a marshal.

    c) Team personnel when either pushing a car or clearing equipment from the grid after all cars able to do so have left the grid on the formation lap.

    d) Team personnel when assisting marshals to remove a car from the grid after the start of the race.

    e) Team personnel working on a car on the grid during a race suspension in accordance with Article 41.4.

    1. FRO THE RECORD, ALL OF THEM DID THE SAME THING! AND NO ONE WAS PUNISHED

      1979 French Grand Prix – Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx

      1979 U.S. Grand Prix – Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni

      1986 German Grand Prix – Finn Keke Rosberg and Nelson Piquet

      1986 Mexico Grand Prix – Nelson Piquet and Phillippe Alliot/Stefan Johansson/Rene Arnoux

      1987 German Grand Prix – Nelson Piquet and Alain Prost

      1987 Italian Grand Prix – Satoru Nakajima and Ayrton Senna

      1988 Hungarian Grand Prix – Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell

      1988 Japanese Grand Prix – Stefan Johansson and Gerhard Berger

      1988 Japanese Grand Prix – Gerhard Berger and Derek Warwick

      1991 British Grand Prix – Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna

      1993 Monaco Grand Prix – Gerhard Berger and Alessandro Zanardi

      1993 German Grand Prix – Thierry Boutsen and Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto

      1995 German Grand Prix – David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello

      1995 Canadian Grand Prix – Schumacher and Alesi

      1997 German Grand Prix – Schumacher and Fisichella

      2001 Spanish Grand Prix – Coulthard and Hakkinen

      2011 German Grand Prix – Webber and Alonso

      1. Do you know for a fact that all of them entered the track without permission (was there even such a rule back then?), or stopped the car on the racing line in a blind corner? The reprimands in this case we’re not issued for the taxi ride itself, but for the dangerous way it started. And they were issued in relation to today’s regulations – old examples may not have any relevance, as they might have happened under different regulations.

        1. +1 with Andreas, know the facts of the argument before you post.

      2. Your confusing the reason Webber got the reprimand.

        The reprimand was not for getting a lift on Alonso’s car, They had no issue with that, The reprimand was purely because Mark didn’t gain permission of the marshal’s to go back onto the circuit.
        And for Alonso stopping his car in a dangerous place.

  31. Derek Warwick, one of the stewards at Singapore, agreed with punishing Webber BUT he did the same thing in 1998, Gerhard Berger picked him up with his ¡ferrari!

    Funny, it was just identical, but contrary to his opinion now, he was not punished for it.

    1. 1988 Japanese Grand Prix – Gerhard Berger and Derek Warwick

    2. The reprimand was not for the lift. That has been explained a couple of times in this blog already, I would advice you to read it.

      1. That is just comical, WEBBER had permission to be on the track HE WAS RACING! HE WAS ON THE TRACK and his car broke down! AND ALONSO PICKED HIM UP!

        That is just the most hilarious excuse I’ve ever seen!

        1. You’re wrong again. He had already left the track, and then re-entered, and the rules forbid such actions.

          Once more I advice you to inform yourself about what exactly happened.

          1. So according to you every pilot “driving or on foot” that left the car track need permission again… uuua! be careful with the curves men! if you leave the track you need permission to come back!

            He was racing, he had permission, he found a way to come back after his car broke down (alonso´s car) and he took it. end of the story.

          2. Yes, every pilot that leaves the track needs permission to enter again. That’s not according to me, that’s according to the rules. That’s why we got a reprimand.

            I’m not sure what exactly is not clear about that, it’s quite simple: He left the track, needed permission to enter again, didn’t have such a permission, got reprimand. Easy peasy.

          3. “Although the race had finished, article 30.9 of F1’s sporting regulations is still in force, which means drivers cannot run on to the track without permission from marshals.”

            From Autosport. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

          4. @Paul2013

            If a driver stops his car out on track be it due to a spin, crash or mechanical failure, As soon as he gets out of his car he’s then under the instruction of the marshals.

            If he wishes to go back towards the circuit be it to get a lift off another driver after the race has ended, Or to run across the track to get to the other side in order to return to the pits (During the race), He MUST first gain permission from the marshal’s.

  32. I’d like to see an interview of the Marshall who told webber to stay of the track to get his point of view on the incident.

  33. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    24th September 2013, 17:52

    When I saw the video, I understood why he was penalised for. First I thought the decision was foolish, but the video shows why it’s necessary to encourage these kind of decissions. And I liked the postcard pic that the hitchhike brought, but what fans like is not necessarily the safest thing to do when cars go around at “slow” 100 kph.

  34. It wouldn’t have been comical if he’d had his legs ripped off by a Mercedes front wing…

  35. Maybe this has some relevance to Alonso’s penalty
    43.3 After receiving the end-of-race signal all cars must proceed on the circuit directly to the post
    race parc fermé without any unnecessary delay, without receiving any object whatsoever and
    without any assistance (except that of the marshals if necessary).
    30.13 At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be
    deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person. This will apply whether
    any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane.
    And this for Webber
    30.9 During the period commencing fifteen minutes prior to and ending five minutes after every
    practice session and the period between the commencement of the formation lap which
    immediately precedes the race and the time when the last car enters the parc fermé, no one
    is allowed on the track, the pit entry or the pit exit with the exception of :
    a) Marshals or other authorised personnel in the execution of their duty.
    b) Drivers when driving or on foot, having first received permission to do so from a
    marshal.

Comments are closed.