F1 drivers told to keep inside grid boxes after Vettel transgression
F1 drivers could be penalized in the future if they line up for the start to far to the left or right of their grid boxes – despite Sebastian Vettel escaping sanction after he did it in China last weekend.
Vettel was trying avoid putting his rear tires on the white lines, while also avoiding still slippery old lines which had been painted over in black.
Race director Charlie Whiting could see that Vettel was out of position and could have aborted the start, which would have seen the German forced to start from the pit lane, but he opted instead to give him the benefit of the doubt and instead refer the matter to the stewards. It was they who made the call that there should be no penalty.
The subject was discussed at a heated drivers’ briefing on Friday evening, when Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were among the loudest voices as the decision that saw Vettel un-penalized came under fire.
Whiting told the drivers that the start rules have not changed for 20 years, and in that time there have only been two extreme cases of drivers being to the left or right of their grid boxes – Daniel Ricciardo in Japan last year, which went unreported to the stewards, and Vettel in China.
Since China, the FIA has reviewed the situation and, in a group call with all the FIA stewards this week, it was decided that a repeat would probably result in a penalty, and the drivers have now been informed.
Much of the discussion in the drivers’ briefing resulted from their desire to have firm guidelines on how far they can push the limits. Whiting pointed out that at least half the grid was outside the boxes in China, and that having a definitive limit of 10 centimeters or something similar would be impossible to enforce. In effect he asked them to use their common sense and do their best to place their cars inside the boxes.
What’s racing this weekend?
