Why can Max Verstappen overtake at the pit exit without penalty?

The FIA has banned any overtaking in the pit lane exit this weekend in Abu Dhabi. This decision was made on Friday evening, as Max Verstappen had made headlines again, overtaking aggressively in this “merge lane” to rejoin the track.

The special feature in Abu Dhabi is the pit exit tunnel which allows drivers to join the circuit not from the inside, but from the outside. This makes it a particularly narrow area. Despite this, Max Verstappen managed to outperform the other drivers by overtaking in the pit exit.

This scene came as a surprise, while in Brazil, the FIA had already been forced to take measures regarding overtaking in this pit exit lane.

What does the regulation say?

The regulations do not impose anything regarding overtaking in this part of the circuit. Overtaking is not prohibited in the pitlane, meaning neither at the entry to the pitlane, nor in the speed-limited zone, nor at the exit.

For example, during a safety car period, the only place where overtaking is allowed is at the pit exit as explained by point 55.8 d) of the sporting regulations: « When a driver exits the pits, they may overtake or be overtaken by another car on track before reaching the second safety car line. »

The condition for this overtaking, however, must be done safely and within the lines of the track. Overtaking rarely occurs in the pitlane for several logical reasons: first, the cars are limited to 80 km/h, so the speed differential for overtaking, for example side by side, is insufficient. Additionally, the stewards can penalize a dangerous pitlane exit when a driver, for instance, cuts off another driver entering the pitlane, forcing them to brake.

Overtaking in this area is thus allowed.

The case of the Brazilian Grand Prix

For several Grand Prixs, the drivers have found a new way to clean laps during qualifying sessions. Instead of getting in each other’s way during the warm-up lap, they wait for each other in the pit lane, sometimes causing traffic jams. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, some drivers complained about this behavior, and the FIA prohibited any stops in the pit lane and elsewhere on the track to avoid slowing down the other drivers too much. The cars were only allowed to slow down by hugging the left line, allowing drivers who didn’t want to wait to overtake them.

This had caused dangerous situations during the Brazilian Grand Prix where drivers found themselves in full throttle lock or had to overtake slow drivers on the side.

Max Verstappen had particularly attempted difficult overtakes during the qualifying session, getting blocked by some drivers. The FIA had then requested the drivers not to slow down from the pit lane exit.

Rebelote in Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi at the end of Free Practice 2, Max Verstappen had only a few minutes left to complete a lap. In front of him were two other drivers slowing down on the merge lane just before the tunnel. The two Mercedes drivers.

Max Verstappen then commented on his attempts to overtake a first Mercedes, and then a second one, quickly finding himself hindered by the narrowness of the tunnel. While overtaking is not prohibited, the FIA deemed the maneuver too complex for that particular spot and decided to ban overtaking for the rest of the weekend in that part of the circuit.

Why no sanctions?

Max Verstappen has not violated any rule of the sport regulations of Formula 1 or even the FIA’s code of conduct. Therefore, he logically has not been concerned. However, drivers have unwritten rules of good conduct, known as “Gentlemen’s agreement,” which are supposed to be respected.

So, overtaking in the pit lane while a driver is waiting to do his fast lap seems outside of this “gentlemen agreement” and this behavior is not really appreciated by the other drivers, nor even by the spectators.