Mick Schumacher, Haas, Paul Ricard, 2022

Schumacher plans talk with stewards over Q1 elimination due to track limits error

2022 French Grand Prix

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Mick Schumacher says he plans to have discussions with FIA officials over the track limits violation which put him out in the first round of qualifying for the French Grand Prix.

The Haas driver originally appeared to have secured a place in Q2 until his quickest time was deleted. Replays showed Schumacher had cut the inside of turn three.

Schumacher was surprised to lose his lap time for leaving the track at that corner. “It was unfortunate because I think we had the pace to go to Q3,” he said.

“It’s something to probably discuss a bit more with the stewards and the race director just to really understand this if there’s a bollard that isn’t track limits. I must be something that millimetres at the end.”

However he doesn’t expect anything which might improve his starting position. “If they taken the decision now there’s no reason to go and discuss about it because they won’t change much anyways.”

“It’s a bit frustrating,” he added. “But on the other hand also we won’t dwell on it but be more focussed on tomorrow and try and make our way through the field and try and score some points.”

Following penalties for his team mate and Carlos Sainz Jnr, Schumacher is currently set to start 17th. He expects it will be possible to make up places in the race.

“The DRS delta is pretty big so we should be able to overtake once we get into DRS,” he said. “How the tyres are going to survive, that’s something we’ll have to see tomorrow.”

He predicted it will “be quite tough keeping the tyres in the window” in the hot conditions which are forecast at the track tomorrow.

“The C4 is quite a vulnerable tyre at the moment. C3 and C2 are a bit more resilient in that case, so we should be able to push a bit harder.

“But once we get into that two-way fight and the battles I think that’s going to tear the tyres quite a bit apart. So for sure it will play into our strategy choices.”

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2022 French Grand Prix

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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...
Claire Cottingham
Claire has worked in motorsport for much of her career, covering a broad mix of championships including Formula One, Formula E, the BTCC, British...

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15 comments on “Schumacher plans talk with stewards over Q1 elimination due to track limits error”

  1. Keith Crossley
    23rd July 2022, 17:24

    From a Motor Sport magazine 1959 issue covering the GT race between Jim Clark and Colin Chapman:

    Clark continued to motor fast, momentarily taking to the grass on the last lap – there.are no stupid “no wheels off the road” rules at Brands.

    1. I see your point, but there’s a difference between going wide and cutting a corner.

  2. Clear corner-cut, so nothing to discuss.

    1. he makes a good point, there’s a bollard there so what is the point. Another blunder by the fia.

      1. Even with a bollard the rules stay the same.

        In golf when approaching a ‘blind’ green they often place a marker to show where the green is. This doesn’t mean that the marker then becomes the hole.

  3. It’s only the twelfth round, so it’s natural Mick is still learning about the whole white lines rule. I am sure the race director can use some chalk and make a drawing to explain what a white line is to young Schumacher.

  4. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    23rd July 2022, 18:16

    “We won’t dwell on it,” – Proceeds to dwell on it.

    1. Is being asked

  5. I think the point is “what does the bollard do there”.

    If it’s there to mark the limit of the road, then it’s wrongly placed.
    It it’s not there to mark the limit of the road, what is it doing? Just to damage cars than cut the corner? (cars which will be penalized anyways because of track limits)

  6. Chill out guys, the main message from Mick’s statement is, that he calls for consistency! I am sure the cameras and footage is there for stewards to observe, police and act from the very first second of FP1 until checkered flag comes down.
    If they would do their job as they should, this situation would not actually happened at all. Instead of “fixing the coffee machine” stewards should observe and sort of “educate” the drivers by deleting the laps constantly and consistently during FP1, FP2 and FP3 and all drives would adjust their lines accordingly learning the lessons far far ahead of the crucial session of the weekend where the deleted lap has by far the biggest impact. Race is obviously different story with warning system in place before penalty.

  7. When the kerb is wide enough to accommodate the entire car, and he was still short of the bollard at the apex, that’s not down to the driver at that point.

    Absurd track design.

    1. The bollard is not part of the ‘track design’.

      And (going into extremes) if Mick had drifted through that corner he might very well have hit the bollard and still stay with one wheel within the white line.

      1. I’m not saying that the bollard is park of the track design. It’s there to indicate and inhibit.

        I’m saying that the keeping being wider than the car is absolutely absurd.

    2. What an absurd comment, @bradders.
      As if the the driver can’t control their car and keep it on the track….

      The bollard is a visual marker and deterrent to cutting the corner – but it does not denote the track limit.
      Not sure if you’ve ever heard this before, but the track is defined by the white lines….

      1. Ah, a nice measured comment from you towards me again.

        How nice. Thanks for the lecture.

        I did not say the bollard denotes the boundary of the circuit.

        You think kerbs should be wide enough to accommodate the entire car?

        Actually, I don’t really care. Whatever.

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