FIA debuted stricter yellow flag guidelines in Monaco

Eventually Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, Components One’s governing physique, the FIA launched stricter velocity restrictions in sections the place doubled waved yellow flag had been proven.

Following an intensive analysis and evaluate of earlier incidents, FIA has made one other vital step to reinforce security in Components One on final Sunday by introducing stricter velocity restrictions.

Based on the FIA Worldwide Sporting Code, double waved yellow flags are proven when there “is a hazard wholly or partly blocking the observe and/or marshals engaged on or beside the observe.” Beneath such situations, vehicles are compelled to cut back their velocity considerably and overtaking is forbidden.

In case of a security automotive or digital security automotive interval, drivers additionally want to stick to a delta time that’s proven on the show. Which means that they’ve to remain above the delta time with the dashboard indicating a adverse or optimistic worth. The latter implies that they’re slower than the utmost common velocity.

Nevertheless, at important locations the place marshal work on the observe or rescue stricken vehicles, drivers are allowed to drive on the identical velocity as at locations with none hazard. Furthermore, if a driver is over the delta time, he can regain time by rising his velocity even in important locations.
The governing physique has carried out an intensive evaluate of earlier incidents and got here to the conclusion that fast change was wanted.

From final weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix drivers are required to fulfill a set most velocity restrict in areas the place double yellow flags are being displayed. Whereas the Monaco Grand Prix is a venue the place incidents typically occur, there was no security automotive or digital security automotive this time round, which means that the FIA couldn’t assess the brand new restriction.

FIA Technical Director Tim Goss commented: “What we wish to do is to supply drivers with a instrument to assist them throughout incidents and to make races even safer.

“For some years with the Security Automobile and Digital Security Automobile we’ve got used delta occasions, a reference to a velocity restrict that we’ve got across the observe. So, when there’s a bodily or digital security automotive, the drivers are knowledgeable of that delta time on their dashboard show and by radio tones they usually have to keep up a optimistic worth, which means they’re slower than the reference time for the lap. Nevertheless, there are events the place vehicles can legitimately briefly enhance their velocity to get better any time they’ve misplaced relative to this reference time.

“What we wish to do now could be to increase using the delta time idea to make sure that vehicles are strictly slowed to the required delta time when double waved yellow flags are proven underneath a Digital Security Automobile or Security Automobile, so we’re introducing a devoted reference velocity restrict within the space the place these flags are displayed,” concluded Goss, who took over his new position throughout the FIA firstly of this 12 months after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had made vital adjustments to the governing physique’s F1 construction.

FIA Head of F1 Electronics Olivier Hulot explains how the drivers will see that the restriction is energetic: “Beneath a Digital Security Automobile, when a driver enters the double yellow, what he sees on the dashboard is zero, so the delta time resets, and he then has to drive beneath the brand new velocity restrict. And he once more will get a optimistic or adverse delta relative to that velocity restrict. So it’s the identical precept as earlier than, besides that it is particular to a double yellow zone.”

“We’ve already introduced in a system of warnings for yellow and double yellow. The motive force will get a warning within the marshalling sector forward of the yellow or the double yellow. That has been profitable already and can assist with the brand new system.”

The brand new restriction may result in a time loss for vehicles if there may be solely a short interval of double yellows and a few of their rivals keep away from this part. Nevertheless, Hulot thinks that security ought to get pleasure from precedence.

“Lack of efficiency relative to others – if a automotive goes by a double yellow, however not one other one and that automotive has to decelerate, it’s dropping time relative to rivals. Nevertheless, for the FIA security is paramount and when there’s a hazard on the observe or marshals on observe then we’ve got to minimise the dangers it doesn’t matter what.”