Formula 3 drivers praised a new rule allowing the stewards to delete a driver’s fastest lap time in qualifying if they cause a red flag, after it was used for the first time last week.
Championship contender Luke Browning’s fastest lap time was deleted after he spun into a barrier at turn 11. The session was suspended as a result which meant many other drivers were unable to complete their final laps.F3 introduced a new rule this year which permits stewards to delete a driver’s fastest lap time in qualifying if they are judged to be “the sole cause of the issuance of a red flag during the qualifying practice session.” Browning’s lap time was deleted, as a result of which he fell from seventh in the session to 15th.
Nikita Bedrin said the rule creates fairer outcomes when drivers cause red flags which prevent others from completing their laps.
“The rule says now that it might get deleted if you cause the red flag,” he said. “I think it’s a good rule because if you have an engine failure or something like that out of your control [they] wouldn’t delete a lap.
“But for example Luke, who just crashed on his own, in my opinion it should be deleted because he compromised the laps of many drivers, including ours. So I think it’s much more of a fair rule now.”
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak also described the new rule as “fair”. The same rule has been introduced in F2 this year and some F1 drivers want to see similar regulations introduced to their series to prevent drivers intentionally causing red flags to thwart their rivals.
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Noel Leon believes F3’s rule should prevent that from happening. “I think it’s good to have the rule because sometimes some drivers can do a red flag so the other drivers don’t do a lap and then they get no lap and they qualify bad,” he said. “And in F3, if you don’t qualify inside the top 10, it’s really difficult to make a good weekend.
“So I think it’s a fair rule. Sometimes it’s not in your way, but it’s a good rule.”
The F3 stewards made it clear they did not believe Browning’s crash was anything other than a driving error. His rival Dino Beganovic, who was among the those who were unable to complete their laps because of the red flags, said that does not mean he should not be penalised.
“It’s a good rule,” said the Prema driver. “If you are pushing too much, and you cause a red flag, destroying, I would say quali of other drivers then you deserve to get a lap time deleted, I would say.”
However some drivers expressed concerns the rule may not be clear enough to cover all cases. “I think it’s situation-dependent,” said Christian Mansell. “If you crash by yourself going off and you make a mistake by yourself, I think it’s subjective, but I think you should always have the chance to explain what happened. I think that would be the fairest way of doing it.
“I think there’s far too much grey area around this rule, to be honest. At one point I heard his lap was reinstated, at one point I heard it was taken away, it was a bit messy. To be honest, I just need a clear and concise rule which they’ve given.
“But at that point you need to have a bit of wiggle room and you need to be able to work with the FIA rather than them just say ‘it’s too confusing, we’re just going to do this instead’. It’s a bit lazy on their behalf. But that’s my opinion though. The other boys, they make a strong argument and I agree with them, but I think you should always be able to argue what happened.”
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Kris
26th July 2024, 8:29
I still disagree with this rule and hope it doesn’t come to F1.
The unintended consequences of this could be drivers not trying to beat their prior laptime.
Terrion (@terrion)
26th July 2024, 12:22
For any racing series the rule is implemented in, this is not the case. In Indycar f.e. they can also remove your fastest time for impeding other drivers. Which is also imo fair
MichaelN
26th July 2024, 11:04
A driver doesn’t “cause” a red flag, the race director does.
What’s next, grid penalties for drivers who “cause” a safety car in the race?
notagrumpyfan
26th July 2024, 14:15
The ’cause’ is still with the driver responsible for the incident.
Or with his/her parents or a malfunctioning contraceptive ;)
MichaelN
26th July 2024, 19:09
I just don’t see the point of this rule. We as the viewers want to see the drivers go all-out in qualifying. That’s what it’s for. That also means a driver sometimes gets it wrong. It’s not ideal, but it happens.
That’s also why all sensible teams do a banker lap and then build up speed in subsequent runs, the number depending on how much time there is in the session. Even if there’s an issue – either with their own car or with the circumstances – then at least there’s a good time on the board.
If the regulator is going to penalize drivers for inconveniencing others, then just do single lap qualifying and scrap the race and do time trials instead.
Nick T.
26th July 2024, 22:32
Seriously, what it takes to trigger a red flag today is an absolute joke.
Jere (@jerejj)
26th July 2024, 12:15
How can they agree with something that effectively penalizes for genuine errors, just like in Hungary, not to mention stewards even accepted the off was out of his control, yet still penalized.
notagrumpyfan
26th July 2024, 14:18
What’s wrong with penalising an error?
Especially if the penalty is clearly defined in the rules, and knowing that such ‘genuine error’ can have serious consequences for others.
PeterG
26th July 2024, 16:45
The penalty for making an error is the lap/time/session lost from making the error.
Why should an error result in a double penalty of not only losing the lap you went off on but also your best laptime?
Additionally what if the red flag wasn’t as a result of a driver error? A sudden rain shower while on slicks, A technical issues, Going off avoiding debris or because the red flag was brought out unnecessarily as we have seen a few times in F1.
It’s a silly rule that has no place in this sport!
notagrumpyfan
27th July 2024, 16:50
It’s not double! Losing the ‘error lap’ is a simple result of the error; losing the ‘fastest lap’ is the (only) penalty.
Then you probably won’t get a lap time deduction penalty. The Stewards have to review if/how you ’caused’ the Red Flag.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
26th July 2024, 14:37
If a red or yellow flag disrupts your final run in qualifying, that isn’t the fault of the driver who crashed. It’s your fault for leaving your final run so late.
If you want to take the best of the track conditions in the dying moments of the session, there’s always the risk you will have your lap disrupted. Managing that risk-reward ratio is part of the challenge of qualifying, and people shouldn’t complain if they get it wrong every so often.
moblet (@moblet)
27th July 2024, 8:23
The purpose of this rule is really to simplify the stewards’ job of ensuring fair outcomes (cf. “Rascassegate”).