Suspension and restart of the race (red flags)

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Suspension (the red flag)

Where the clerk of the course determines that competitors or officials are placed in immediate physical danger by cars running on the track, and the track cannot be negotiated safely, then the race will be suspended via the display of red flags.[1] Overtaking is immediately forbidden once the red flag is displayed.[2] There is no recent jurisprudence on whether knowledge of the red flag is required for an overtake to be forbidden, however past decisions on the analogous principle under yellow flags suggest that where a driver has not yet had the opportunity to become aware of the red flag (i.e. has not yet passed a marshalling post), they will not be penalised for an overtake.[3]

All cars must proceed immediately to the pit lane at slow speed and line up in the fast lane.[4] Failure to enter the pitlane at the first opportunity will result in a penalty.[5]

The race clock will be stopped for the duration of the suspension, however the overall clock (the ‘three-hour window’) will continue to run.[6]

Certain work on cars is permissible during the suspension period. This is restricted to the following:

  1. Starting the engine and any directly associated preparation.
  2. The addition of compressed gases.
  3. The fitting or removal of permitted cooling and heating devices.
  4. Changes to the air ducts around the front and rear brakes during the race only.
  5. Changes to the radiator ducts during the race only.
  6. Changes made for driver comfort.
  7. Changing wheels and tyres.
  8. Repair of genuine accident damage, including the replacement of assemblies containing such damaged parts.
  9. The aerodynamic set up of the front wing may be adjusted using the existing parts. No parts may be added, removed or replaced.[7]

Race restarts from suspension

Upon suspension, all cars are to be arranged in the pit lane in the order they were in when the race was suspended. This means that any car in the pit lane or pit entry are to be inserted into the order of cars as they appeared on the timing screens.[8] Any cars that were in the garage at the time of suspension are permitted to return to competition, however must line up after all other cars “in the order they got there”.[9] It is unclear what “in the order they got there” means, however it is extremely unlikely to be relevant as it would require multiple retired cars to rejoin the race. For the purposes of establishing the order of cars at the time of suspension, the most recent complete set of timing data will be used. This means that, where a race is suspended prior to all cars reaching the end of the first sector of the track, the order for a restart will be the grid order – even if one or more (but not all) cars have reached the end of sector one.[10]

Two minutes prior to the restart of the race (under any procedure), any lapped cars (or cars otherwise in the wrong position in the queue of cars) may leave the pitlane and circulate the track to re-enter the pitlane and establish the correct order.[11]

One minute prior to the restart of the race, the Race Director must select the restart procedure that will be performed, with the decision turning on whether the track conditions are considered suitable for a standing start.[12] Notably, there is no provision for the election to use one procedure over the other based on an abstract concepts of ‘danger’ or ‘promoting racing’. This would seem to rule out the decision to use a rolling start where drivers have caused collisions in previous restarts (for reasons other than track conditions), or the decision to use a standing start to ‘make things more entertaining’.

  • A standing start is conducted in a similar way to a standard race start (see race start procedure). The Race Director may elect to either utilise the Safety Car to lead the cars out of the pit lane and to the grid (and then signal cars to overtake it), or permit the race leader to lead. The lap to the grid will be counted as a completed lap for the purposes of the distance/duration of the race. Cars which must start from the pit lane are permitted to leave the pit lane with the rest of the cars, but must re-enter for the race start. Any car which fails to re-enter the pit lane will receive a ten-second stop-and-go penalty.[13]
  • A rolling start is conducted in the alternative where the track conditions are unsuitable for a standing start. Cars will exit the pit lane behind the Safety Car and circulate the track. When the clerk of the course determines it is safe to start the race (potentially after multiple laps), the cars will be signalled that the Safety Car is entering the pit lane and control of the pack will pass to the race leader. Overtaking is permitted once a given car has passed the Control Line. Cars which must start from the pit lane are permitted to circulate the course with the other cars, but must re-enter the pit lane for the race start.[14] It is unclear how this operates where there is only one Safety Car lap (how does the car get ahead of the pack to re-enter the pit lane before the start), or indeed where there are multiple Safety Car laps (at which point does the car re-enter the pit lane).

If the race director elects to utilise the Safety Car, it will leave the pit lane followed by the cars to complete one or more laps to set up the restart procedure.[15] Otherwise, the cars will leave following the race leader.

Overtaking during the restart procedure

Overtaking is prohibited during during laps to the grid under the Safety Car,[16] save for the following exceptions:

  1. An overtake in the pit lane due to the overtaken car being delayed with an obvious problem
  2. The overtaken car slowing on the track with an obvious problem
  3. The overtaken car being delayed during the lap(s) behind the Safety Car.[17]

Cars overtaken during the lap(s) behind the Safety Car may re-take their position, subject to conditions based on the selected restart procedure (see below).

  • For a standing start, a car may retake its position prior to crossing the first Safety Car line on the lap of the restart. If it fails to do so, it must enter the pitlane and follow the procedure for “starting from the pitlane” (see pitlane starts).[18]
    • Failing to re-enter the pitlane after falling out of position will result in a ten-second stop-and-go penalty.[19]
  • For a rolling start, a car may retake its position prior to the “rolling start” message being transmitted to the teams during the Safety Car lap(s).[20] Failure to do so does not carry a consequence beyond starting from the current position.

Overtaking in breach of the rules carries either a drive-through or ten-second stop-and-go penalty.[21]

Multiple laps behind the Safety Car

The choice as to how many laps are completed behind the Safety Car before the restart is performed defaults to one, unless

  1. The race is being resumed in wet conditions and the Race Director deems more than one lap is necessary, in which case the use of ‘full wet’ tyres is compulsory;[22] or
  2. All cars are not yet in a line behind the safety car;[23] or
  3. A further incident occurs necessitating another intervention.[24]

If, after one or more laps behind the safety car, track conditions are considered unsuitable to resume competition, the re-start may be suspended and all cars must return to the pit lane awaiting a further re-start attempt. Such a re-attempt must use the rolling start procedure, and the use of ‘full wet’ tyres is mandatory.[25] If the race cannot be resumed the results will be taken at the end of the penultimate lap before the lap during which the signal to suspend the race was given.[26]

References

  1. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 57.1.
  2. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 57.2.
  3. ↑ See, eg, Stewards’ Decision, 2020 Styrian Grand Prix, Offence – Car 4 – Overtaking car 10 under yellow flags; Stewards’ Decision, 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Decision – Car 18 – Alleged failing to slow under Yellow Flags.
  4. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 57.1.
  5. ↑ See Stewards’ Decision, 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Offence – Car 4 – Red flag.
  6. ↑ See Sporting Regulations, art 57.4(a). Note here that the regulations appear to be erroneously drafted.
  7. ↑ See Sporting Regulations, art 57.5(b).
  8. ↑ See Sporting Regulations, art 57.3.
  9. ↑ See Sporting Regulations, art 57.3.
  10. ↑ This scenario occurred during the Australian Grand Prix, in which a red flag was called after a collision at turn one following a standing start.
  11. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.4.
  12. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.12.
  13. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.11.
  14. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.12.
  15. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.8.
  16. ↑ It is unclear what the rules for overtaking are where the Safety Car remains in the pit lane, however they are presumed to be unchanged.
  17. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.6. The section also provides: “Whilst in the pit entry road, pit lane or pit exit road a driver may overtake another car which is also in one of these three areas”. It is wholly unclear what this means – it would seem unlikely that it could constitute blanket permission to overtake in the pit lane areas. The language seems to be copied from the provisions governing standard Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars, and is perhaps erroneously inserted.
  18. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.7(a).
  19. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.7(a).
  20. ↑ Note that this is the message send signifying the commencement of the procedure during the Safety Car lap(s), not the message sent during the suspension informing the teams of the selected procedure.
  21. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.9.
  22. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.10(a).
  23. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.10(b).
  24. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.10(c).
  25. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.13.
  26. ↑ Sporting Regulations, art 58.14.
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