Logan Sargeant, the only driver penalized despite the 5 investigations by the FIA
Several drivers were under investigation after several offenses noted by the FIA. Ultimately, only Williams received a disciplinary sanction.
Q1 was eventful in Mexico. The first session saw double World Champion Fernando Alonso go off track at the first corner. However, before the incident, the Spanish driver, Max Verstappen and George Russell were summoned by the FIA for unnecessary obstruction at the pit exit. The three drivers slowed down at the pit exit for one of the final attempts of the session. The drivers wanted to create space and avoid getting caught up in traffic. Ultimately, the stewards took no further disciplinary action.
The three teams argued that their actions stemmed from the maximum delta time, preventing drivers from driving too slowly on the track to escape the dirty air created in the wake of the cars. Team managers believed that they were compelled to lower their pace in the pit lane, which is the only part of the circuit not subject to the maximum delta time between the second and first safety line.
In its verdict, the FIA specified that it took into account the entire context. « The stewards believe that all the incidents occurred directly as a result of the implementation of the minimum lap time between SC2 and SC1, which is designed (rightly so, from our point of view) to avoid dangerous traffic jams of cars on the track during qualifying », it is stated. « We note that there are conflicting requirements for drivers, as they must respect the minimum time, they try to create manageable gaps to the cars ahead of them, but they are also obliged to avoid unnecessary stops at the pit exit or driving unnecessarily slowly. »
Find a solution for the future.
The commissioners agreed in their report that driving slowly in the pit lane created less danger than on the track, resulting in a significant speed difference. However, the FIA still acknowledges that this incident at the pit exit is a lesser problem than the one that occurred on the track. The federation added that it is desirable to find a better solution for the pit exit, but at this stage, the nature of it is unknown.
A time suspected of having been in violation, George Russell spoke out about the situation. “We are asked not to stop in the pit lane, but if you don’t create your gap in the pit lane, you have to do it on the track,” said the Mercedes driver. “And for me, it’s quite dangerous if you’re driving at 10 km/h on the straight while the cars are doing 330 on a fast lap.”
Two investigations for on-track offenses.
On track, another incident livened up the debates during Q1 in Mexico. Fernando Alonso, who went off track towards the end of the session, caused a yellow flag in the first sector. During this period, Lewis Hamilton was accused of not slowing down. However, the investigation revealed that the six-time World Champion had sufficiently reduced his speed compared to his previous lap.
However, Williams did not receive the same leniency. Logan Sargeant overtook Yuki Tsunoda under the same yellow flag, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty for him. The American was already forced to start from the back of the grid in Mexico, as his two laps in Q1 were cancelled due to track limit violations. With Tsunoda’s penalties for an engine change, however, he will start in 19th position.
