Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, says it is aware of the pre-restart situation at Imola, which was labelled “dangerous” by drivers, and will evaluate whether any changes are necessary.
The Safety Car was deployed in the race when Max Verstappen’s Red Bull suffered a tyre failure on the run to the Villeneuve chicane and became beached in the gravel trap.
Under the Safety Car Williams’ George Russell lost control of his FW43 on the approach to Acque Minerale.
After a few laps those who had been a lap down were given the signal to overtake and did so in a bid to return to the train prior to the restart, as per the usual protocol.
A group of four marshals were still working at the area where Russell had crashed, with one on the track sweeping away debris.
Kimi Raikkonen was first to encounter the scene after the exit of the Piratella left-hander and backed off, which prompted close pursuers Antonio Giovinazzi, Nicholas Latifi and Romain Grosjean to do likewise.
Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, following at separate intervals, approached the scene at speed, with Stroll in particular passing close by to the marshals at considerable speed.
Grosjean and Vettel both radioed their respective teams to inform them of the “dangerous” situation though it is understood these complains were not passed on by their teams to Race Control at the time.
Article 39.12 of Formula 1’s Sporting Regulations states that once drivers are given the signal to unlap themselves they “should then proceed around the track at an appropriate speed, without overtaking, and make every effort to take up position at the back of the line.”
Double waved yellow flags were still being shown both trackside and on the lighting panels, the locations of which are outlined in the pre-event briefing, and as per the wording of the regulations these were observed by drivers.
On Tuesday, after a request by MotorsportWeek.com on the situation, the FIA confirmed that they will review whether current procedures need to be amended.
“The safety of the marshals and trackside officials is of the highest priority for the FIA,” read a statement provided.
“Race control was made aware of the issue and is evaluating whether any changes can be made to the procedures currently in place to further protect the marshals and officials and minimise the likelihood of a reoccurrence in the future.”
The situation only came to light after Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi held his usual post-race debrief with the media.
Discussion about this post