You’re gonna need a bigger Stewards Room!
A remarkable 16 drivers were investigated after Sunday’s second Shanghai EPrix for potential yellow flag infractions but none of them were penalised for a variety of offences.
The stewards office was crammed with Sébastien Buemi, Nico Müller, Dan Ticktum, Taylor Barnard, Jake Dennis, Antonio Felix Da Costa, Maximilian Günther, Pepe Martí, Oliver Rowland, Nick Cassidy, Norman Nato, Edoardo Mortara and race winner, Lucas di Grassi, as well as sporting reps from their respective teams.
The drivers were all given warnings for their conduct when coming upon the stopped Lola of Zane Maloney, which had suffered a suspension breakage and gearbox damage, and pulled off close the pit wall on the start and finish straight.
The lengthy investigations by stewards focused on the Single Yellow flag signal that was ‘displayed at the light panels from Turn 10 to the light panel just past the stopped car which was green. After Car 14 (leader Joel Eriksson) exited Turn 12, the light panel on drivers’ left at the exit of Turn 12 changed to double yellow which created a very short double yellow sector which commenced after the apex of Turn 12 and ended at the control line.’
Maloney had stopped his Lola Yamaha at the end of lap 22 with five laps remaining, although subsequently a lap was added for the time spent under FCY conditions.
Three drivers were completely exonerated of double waved yellow infractions but were warned about slowing for a single yellow. These included second and third placed drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Joel Eriksson, as well Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich.
In Vergne’s case an post-race analysis of the telemetry from his Citroen showed that when in the double yellow ‘mini sector and prior to passing Maloney’s stationery car, Vergne ‘braked momentarily (twice) and lifted off throttle and reduced speed. The Stewards determined that the brake, lift and speed reduction were sufficient and for that reason took no further action.’
In Eriksson’s case, onboard coverage from his Envision Jaguar captured the Swede running through the light panel at Turn 12 while it was displaying a single yellow signal.
But when the signal changed to a double yellow after Eriksson had passed it, the FIA stewards stated that the driver ‘remained at full throttle as the car passed’ Maloney. Eriksson received a warning to the driver for this element of the investigation.
Detailing the analysis of speed telemetry of the cars showed the FIA ‘that most were slightly slower through that section of track that on earlier green laps but only very marginally. At that point in time the driver (Maloney) of Car 22 remained in the cockpit.
A Double Yellow flag requires a driver to reduce speed significantly and be prepared to stop because there is a hazard wholly or partly blocking the track and/or marshals working on or beside the track.
The rationale from the FIA stewards detailed that ‘the telemetry of the Cars referred to suggested that none of the drivers had complied with the Double Yellow Flag rule. The Drivers were unanimous in their submissions to the Stewards that:
- They slowed when they entered what they believed was only a Single Yellow sector
- They did not see the Double Yellow light panel on the outside of turn 12 because at the point they had an opportunity to see it, not only was it difficult to see against the sky, but they were also turning through turn 12 and looking ahead on the track to attempt to sight what it was that had triggered what they believed remained a Single Yellow Flag;
- There was no Double Yellow displayed at the light panel at turn 10 nor at turn 11;
- They all saw Car 22 stopped on the right side of the track and also saw a green light panel at about the same position;
- While their onboard footage revealed that for a brief period lights appeared on their dashboard indicating they were in a Double Yellow sector, their focus at that time was not on their dash but looking up to the green light;
- Believing they were only in a Single Yellow zone, they had slowed sufficiently for such a zone, they had a clear line of sight once they exited turn 12, the track was wide and they could have changed direction if circumstances required that but it was obvious from the position of Car 22 hard up against the right side of the track that there was no reason for them to do so.
The Stewards accepted these submissions. Ordinarily a Double Yellow flag infringement would call for a severe penalty. However, in the Stewards’ assessment, the drivers correctly adverted to a number of features of the infringements which were unusual and take them outside a typical Double Yellow flag infringement case.
Having reviewed all of the evidence, the Stewards considered ‘all of these incidents to be indistinguishable. A common feature is that all the drivers were and remained at full throttle as they passed the stranded Car 22.
Even accepting the drivers’ explanation that they believed they were in a single yellow zone, to not have lifted at that point falls short of what ought to be expected and for that reason the Stewards imposed a penalty of a ‘warning’ to each of the drivers concerned.
