There have possibly been numerous instances where your favourite Formula 1 driver is on a tremendous flying lap and well on his way to secure pole position. But all hopes are shattered when there’s a sudden red flag due to a crash ahead and your favorite driver has to abort their flying lap. Well, team bosses such as Zak Brown have had enough and seek to arrive at a solution.
Zak Brown Wants Formula 1 to Adopt Indy Car Routine
In IndyCar, the rules state that if a driver causes a red flag during a session, their fastest timing gets deleted. McLaren CEO Zak Brown wants Formula 1 to follow the same route to usher in a sense of accountability and consequences. He finds it a straightforward and simple solution.
“They do that in other forms of motorsports. You just lose your fastest lap from that session…Because you’ve messed up someone else’s lap, I think that’s an easy solution and it can be implemented right away.” Also Read: What Are The 2024 Car Launch Dates For Formula 1 Teams?
Could Extra Time Be The Solution
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi believes that if a red flag is shown during a qualifying, Formula 1 could add an ‘extra time’ rule. This rule would permit those drivers to re-start and complete their flying laps, who had to otherwise abort their laps due to red flags.
The possibility of F1 adding in an ‘extra time’ rule that gives drivers a chance to complete their fast laps, could also be discussed, according to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. He doesn’t disregard the possibility of penalising the drivers who causes the red flags in the first place. But Rossi desires am ‘extensive review’ in such scenarios.
“I would imagine that you could perhaps extend the session by an extra lap or two, to allow for the others to finish their hot lap for instance, and the driver himself would not continue without any penalty.” Also Read: BREAKING: Williams Announce Mercedes’ James Vowles As New Team Principal
Sergio Perez Re-ignites The Red Flag Controversy
Many feel that some Formula 1 drivers might intentionally cause a red flag when they are in a strong and strategic qualifying position. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz went to the extent of stating that deliberate crashes have become surprisingly common in Formula 1. He demands regulations to penalise drivers in such instances.
Then Sergio Perez added fuel to the controversy. After botched team calls and an ugly battle with Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen, it was suggested that Sergio Perez had intentionally crashed and caused a red flag in the qualifying session at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. At the time of the crash, Perez was in a really strong qualifying position and would have possibly been nicked off that honour as few drivers, including Verstappen were on flying laps and well on their way to set competitive times. Perez would go on to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
But there was still no concrete evidence to suggest Perez deliberately crashed his Red Bull. To Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack, here lies the problem. He finds it hard to penalise a driver without proper evidence of a ‘deliberate crash’. He desires a case-by-case approach.
Krack stated, “I do not have a black and white opinion on this. I think we need to really look case-by-case, going to sporting advisory and maybe have a look at the last 10 years where we had situations, because it’s quite quick to pre-condemn someone, when it’s was not good.” Also Read: Mattia Binotto To Receive Extra Ferrari Compensation To Block Move To F1 Rivals
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