Formula 1 drivers face tight new restrictions preventing them from going too slowly between qualifying laps this year.
FIA race director Niels Wittich has issued updated guidance to drivers in his latest attempt to avoid potentially dangerous interactions between cars during qualifying. Several near-misses have occurred in recent seasons involving drivers at speed and others going slowly to cool their tyres or power units.The sport’s governing body attempted to regulate this last year by requiring drivers to stay below a maximum time between the pit lane exit and entry. The new push takes that approach a step further.
From this weekend, the drivers’ pace relative to that lap time will be measured at every marshalling post around the lap. This should reduce the possibility for large speed differences between cars to occur during qualifying and pre-race reconnaissance laps.
The updated regulations state: “For the safe and orderly conduct of the event, other than in exceptional circumstances accepted as such by the stewards, to ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on any lap during and after the end of the qualifying session (including in-laps and out-laps) or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the sprint or race, drivers must stay on or below the maximum time set by the FIA ECU at least once in each marshalling sector and at both the first and second safety car lines (a marshalling sector is defined as the section of track between each of the FIA light panels).
“Any driver that exceeds the maximum time set by the FIA ECU may be deemed to be going unnecessarily slowly.”
As a further safeguard against drivers at high speed catching much slower cars, the race director has also issued new instructions on behaviour at specific points around the track.
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“In the event of fast approaching cars, drivers should go off-line between turns three and four, turns 10 to 11 and turns 13 to 14 to avoid any high-speed differential between the cars on track on the racing line.”
One consequence of the rules brought in last year which the FIA hopes to prevent involves drivers purposefully slowing in the pit lane exit where there is often little room for other cars to pass. The updated regulation state they “include the pit lane as well.”
New driver guidance compared
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix notes
4) Laps during qualifying and reconnaissance laps
4.1 In order to ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on in laps during and after the end of qualifying or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the race, drivers must stay below the maximum time set by the FIA between the Safety Car lines shown on the pit lane map.
You will be informed of the maximum time after the second free practice session.
2024 Bahrain Grand Prix notes
2) Laps during Qualifying and Reconnaissance Laps
2.1 For the safe and orderly conduct of the Event, other than in exceptional circumstances accepted as such by the Stewards, to ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on ANY lap during and after the end of the qualifying session (including in-laps and out-laps) or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the sprint or race, drivers must stay on or below the maximum time set by the FIA ECU at least once in each marshalling sector and at both the first and second safety car lines (a marshalling sector is defined as the section of track between each of the FIA light panels). Any driver that exceeds the maximum time set by the FIA ECU may be deemed to be going unnecessarily slowly. Incidents will normally be investigated after the qualifying session.
Teams and Drivers will be provided the maximum time latest after the second practice session.
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Coventry Climax
27th February 2024, 15:47
puke
Sure, I understand it’s an issue. But this sounds like an in season rule change again. Couldn’t they have decided on this a couple months back? It’s not like it sounds like rocket science, does it?
Other than that, I don’t recall it being so much of an issue; it seems to have arisen over the last couple of years. There must be a reason for that. How about investigating why the phenomenon has surfaced, and then deal with the root cause(s), instead of playing kindergarten cop?
If that’s already happened, then follow your own communications and media courses, and tell us about it.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
27th February 2024, 16:30
But the season hasn’t started yet?
BasCB (@bascb)
27th February 2024, 17:34
Indeed. While it is relatively late, this IS the latest reasonable time to announce their approach BEFORE the season starts.
I am curious to see how this one gets things wrong too, but it would be good if it actually worked somewhat satisfactory.
Coventry Climax
27th February 2024, 18:56
That’s a matter of definition?
As far as I’m concerned, the season started when testing started.
anon
27th February 2024, 20:07
Coventry Climax, in which case, it would appear that you have chosen a definition of a season that does not appear to match with any normally accepted definition of that term in the English language.
grat
28th February 2024, 4:12
Personally, I think the season ends 1 hour after the last year’s gala finishes, but that’s my personal opinion (actually, I’m not that stupid, but I’m making a point).
The FIA very clearly outlines what constitutes “a season” and a race weekend, or “event”. Anything before Thursday’s media sessions is not, as I recall, considered part of a race weekend. So no, the season has not yet begun. There’s an argument that it might be the Thursday media events, there’s an argument that it might be the start of P1– regardless, there is no argument that the season begins with the first session of testing (which is mostly exempt from technical regulations, and has no scrutineering).
Coventry Climax
27th February 2024, 19:01
As far as I’m concerned, the season started when testing started.
So next, we’ll have a rules change during practice 1 for the first race of the season, and say it’s OK?
Coventry Climax
27th February 2024, 20:11
@keithcollantine:
By the way, read again:
There’s a reason I said ‘sounds like’.
Tristan
27th February 2024, 21:07
If one were to say a cat sounds like a dog, they would still be wrong. Not sure what difference that makes.
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
27th February 2024, 23:53
So which is it?
Tristan
27th February 2024, 21:52
Even if it was in season, I’d still have no problems with a rule change like enforcing a maximum sector time.
It’s procedural, the same for everyone, and importantly to benefit safety… Rather than a technical rule change that could impact one team over another.
I’m just disappointed they’re defining areas of the track where you should let a car by… You should be doing that everywhere…
If they stick with defining just a few corners to let faster cars by because “they can’t change the rules mid-season” that would be a ridiculous constraint.
Coventry Climax
28th February 2024, 0:32
I don’t know whether there’s something in the rulebook that actually defines when a season has started, be it when the car design philosophies are determined , or until the lights go out for race 1, or anything in between. I don’t even actually care.
For me, ‘sounds like’ means I feel it’s way too far into the start of the season to still be making changes or provide ‘updated guidance’. Those words sound awful enough in themselves, pampers -style, but if rules need clarification, and drivers need ‘guidance’, you haven’t written the rules clearly enough, period. These rules in themselves are not that difficult to begin with, so I don’t see any reason for them coming so late with it.
Cars bunching up and/or hindering other cars on outlaps or inlaps has become an issue over the past couple of years. To me, it would make sense to first figure out why that is.
I’m fine with you guys disagreeing with me, I’m fine with you guys being fine with how things are dealt with, but I’m not.
Laz
27th February 2024, 16:20
Every time they have stepped in with a rule to govern in & out lap speeds, they’ve ended up making it worse.
I have my doubts this latest change will improve things.
MichaelN
27th February 2024, 16:23
Maybe my English is failing me here, but what’s the point of the ‘at least once’.
Since it already states that the point is to ‘ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on ANY lap’, what is or could be the idea behind the aforementioned specification?
BasCB (@bascb)
27th February 2024, 17:36
Currently it is taken over the whole lap, so going part of the lap normal/high speed and part at a crawling pace satisfies the rule. When they must meet the time difference, much like how it works during a VSC period, it means they have to largely adhere to the average speed in every single sector at least for a while, making them have to drive the whole lap far closer to this minimal speed.
M
27th February 2024, 20:12
With the policy at the end of last year, while half the drivers got pinged every quali session for driving too slowly, they would all be cleared with the excuse of having to slow for traffic, and so it was pretty pointless. I think this new system is hoping to account for those instances traffic, and only catch when cars are deliberately going too slowly on an outlap all the way around? But I’m not 100% sure I understand.
JohnS
27th February 2024, 16:52
too complicated. simpler’ ” if one poses a hinderance or danger to other drivers in pit lane or on track, qualifying time will be deleted and must start from back.”
drmouse (@drmouse)
27th February 2024, 17:41
The problem is that it’s then becomes completely at the stewards discretion what “a hinderance or danger” is. That leaves it open to inconsistency, which leaves them open to accusations of bias. We had years of that, where neither spectators nor drivers head any idea of whether something would be consider acceptable, with identical looking incidents in the same session being treated completely differently.
WhatMyMammaSaid (@whatmymammasaid)
27th February 2024, 18:00
And as usual, instead of fixing the actual issue, we invent new rules. Which then can lead to other confusion and discussion. Why is it, humans are so fond of rules!? Before the end of the year we won’t have racing drivers but rather accounts deciding the outcome of a race as driving skills no longer matter, knowledge of the, ever shifting, rules does.
They should make sure the stewards decisions are more consistent. And boohoo, it will never be fair. Or equal for everyone, that’s a fact of life. Yes they must do their best to be consistent but if that somehow doesn’t work out, accept it. After all, it’s the same for everyone! (the chance to get an inconsistent verdict).
S
28th February 2024, 6:46
F1 had a lot less rules in the past, and it worked so well that rules were always being added and clarified because they weren’t being adhered to properly….
Unfortunately, the ‘spirit’ of the rules and the ‘spirit of sportsmanship’ don’t provide sufficient incentive of their own to make the concept of fewer rules work – certainly not in the modern era, especially.
Humans need rules, because we can’t be trusted without them.
S
28th February 2024, 6:17
Well, what else are they there for….?
Discretion and personal/professional opinion will always be a factor, no matter how the rules are written.
Jere (@jerejj)
27th February 2024, 17:01
”The sport’s governing body attempted to regulate this last year by requiring drivers to stay below a maximum time between the pit lane exit and entry”
– The SC line reference has been a thing for a long time already, so nothing new in this regard, but hopefully, the general matter improves with light panel intervals also taken into account.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
27th February 2024, 17:22
They can make the guidance as comprehensive and complicated as they like, but it all counts for nothing if it’s not enforced. How many times last season did drivers get away with precisely this, despite exceeding the maximum lap time, because the stewards identified some external factor? The only way to achieve consistency is to enforce the rule consistently, not make a different rule.
BasCB (@bascb)
27th February 2024, 17:38
This is a hugely important point yeah. Once again, the FIA must improve their stewarding and avoid old drivers from backing out from handing out a penalties to a third of the field just because Brundle and Crofty will whine about how “ridiculous” something is.
golfr
27th February 2024, 20:24
Exactly. Numerous times last year drivers were found guilty. But if I recall accurately no punishment was ever applied. Drivers and their teams ALWAYS has some excuse, and the race director ALWAYS backed off.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
27th February 2024, 18:07
I think all that really needed to be done is to say anyone not on a fast lap must remain off the racing and that someone on the pit wall has to keep them well informed on faster cars approaching.
I think all the minimum lap time, SC line, Timing loop stuff they have tried is just making it unnecessarily complex.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
27th February 2024, 18:08
Should read ‘must remain off the racing line’ no idea why auto correct removed the word line.
chimaera2003 (@chimaera2003)
27th February 2024, 18:22
Given the main issue is people trying to conserve tyres for the actual push lap, wouldn’t it be easier to start and stop the clock at a different place that isn’t the finish line.
For example, at Silverstone the line could be after the Loop or after Luffield. Adjustments to the position of the line for tyre warm up purposes could be evaluated on a case by case basis in the same way that DRS is.
One downside is that it would involve only having 2 laps of action per qualifying run rather than 3 which could also alleviate traffic. Although given F1’s efforts to seemingly proactively limit track time I’m sure it would be seen as a good thing! (Tongue in cheek).
AlanD
27th February 2024, 19:22
I have a radical solution, but the TV companies would veto it for sure.
The problem arises because of cars trying to get a lap in as late as possible, everyone piling out in those last few minutes, everyone getting in everyone else’s way trying to find clean air for a final run, and there is no easy way to write a rule to prevent that.
So here is my suggestion. Q1 is scheduled for 20 minutes, for example, so change it to be, say, 18 to 22 minutes, where the actual duration is a random value chosen by a computer and known to no-one. The session runs until the computer decides Q1 is over, and out comes the chequered flag automatically, no discussion. Doing it that takes away the advantage of trying to hold the car in the pits until to the very last possible second because there is a very good chance you’ll lose the chance to set a lap. You could still penalise drivers for creating a train and stopping other people getting their lap in, but you’d be less likely to have a long train to start with if there was an element of uncertainty about the session length.
You might think this would be terrible, not knowing how long a session will last, but we actually have that situation already. If someone spins one minute from the end of the Q session and brings out a red flag, the session effectively ends one minute early because there will be insufficient time left for anyone to do a timed lap. Same if it rains, you don’t know how mmany laps you’ll get. Teams have to live with that situation already.
SteveR (@stever)
27th February 2024, 23:34
Seems to me the teams would then assume the session will be the shorter time and do exactly the same things they are now doing. If the session were between 18 and 20 minutes the teams would assume 18 minutes and we’d have four minutes of dead track time at the end……
AlanD
28th February 2024, 3:50
Yes Steve, they might, but if they all went out at 18 then some of the would have to space out more and more cars should still be able to get a lap in. The car going at the 18 minute deadline would be unlikely to be the last car on track which is what they all went at present. As I also said, you can still penalise cars who are clearly holding up others for no good reason, but I think it would help spread the field out more.
S
28th February 2024, 6:51
They can all get a lap in now – if they really want to. All they need to do is go earlier.
What your suggestion would likely regularly result in is something akin to the Monza Qualifying incident – where they were still all tripping over each other in their attempts to prevent anyone else from benefiting from it.
It has become apparent they can’t be penalised for impeding if neither car is on a hot lap – so you can bet they’d be taking even more advantage of that.
An Sionnach
27th February 2024, 20:41
Will the minimum time allow cars to drive slow enough so they do not affect engine life and other things? They only have so many of these…
Is the root cause shorter, intense qualifying sessions? How’s about a longer session, with more sets of tyres? Qualifying engines and tyres, loud noises and plenty of them! How are drivers supposed to go fast in a limited time and be expected not to try and time their run so it is at the optimal time?
Tristan
27th February 2024, 21:11
I don’t mind the Max sector time, that’s fine and sensible.
What’s this about though? What happens now if a car catches another outside those corners? Does the blocking car not have to give way?
This sounds dangerous and confusing.
In the case of fast approaching cars, drivers should Always go off-line…
Ajit
27th February 2024, 23:08
The rule makers are going about this the wrong way imo. This just increases the workload on drivers. Now, while they are trying to ensure they get to the start line on time, and ensuring a proper prep lap for tyres, and staying out of the way of quick cars, they also need to keep watch on a delta they need to maintain all the way through the lap. More workload will tend towards more mistakes, not less. I guess the intent here is to remove the subjectivity in the steward’s decisions and make it directly based on delta violations. But it wont accomplish that either since there will always be some reason drivers can come up with and all decisions will be contested. If they dont have enough people monitoring it, it will just lead to delays in knowing the grid order. In any case, we will find out come Q1 I guess.
S
28th February 2024, 11:32
You know they could simply go a little bit quicker to make sure they make it to their delta point in time…?
Going as slow as possible is not something F1 should be known for – and yet that’s exactly what they do now.
Mr_NovemberHotel (@nicharvs)
27th February 2024, 23:47
This is a recent issue. The willingness to throw a red flag for miniscule events has become too frequent.
A full course yellow used to do the job just fine. If someone went off in qualifying and full yellow came out and the clock kept ticking down, you could still be on track but not able to improve your time. There is none of that anymore. Now if there is an event, a red is thrown, the clock stops and everyone goes back to the pits, the drivers are almost guaranteed to get the specified session time on track, so there is no urgency, and they dawdle about.
Try this, when the clock starts to start the session, it doesn’t stop. That’s how you get mixed grids. Mixed up grids are so uncommon these days. If there’s more urgency to get in a lap, less dawdling, more getting on with it!
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
28th February 2024, 0:43
Seems to me that they keep adding rules or advices but don’t actually then apply them.
On the odd occasion they do, it’s always the last person in the queue of slow cars that gets pinged rather than the first one that causes the back up.
Until teams realise that waiting till the last second is interfering with their warm up and costing them lap time, nothing will change.
pimbers4955 (@pimbers4955)
28th February 2024, 8:19
“ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on ANY lap during and after the end of the qualifying session”
As we know from history, “any” does not mean “all”…
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
28th February 2024, 9:02
Probably the unpopular view, but let them bunch up and get in each others way. We may get interesting grids then. As for dangerous . . well the cars are the safest they have ever been, and they are allegedly the best drivers in the world.
I am also a supporter of getting rid of blue flags and making racers race past back markers.
F1 needs fewer rules not more of them.
S
28th February 2024, 11:38
Until a car flying along at 250kph+ smashes into the back of another car doing 50kph…
Or manages to avoid that car, and instead has a massive crash into a barrier instead.
Sure, the cars and tracks are safer than in the past – but nobody back then (whenever that was) dawdled around a green race track at such slow speeds. Especially not on the racing line.
F1 needs an attitude of respecting rules before they start concerning themselves with how many there are.
Once they are obeyed consistently without warnings and penalties, then they can be relaxed.