Rules for Classification

[Maxmil]

This subject came up in Glen's thread on reliability, and got me thinking. My question is: How do they determine which drivers get "classified" (As opposed to DNFed.) when they retire before the checkered flag is thrown. Where do they make the cut in other words?
:confused: :confused: :confused:

[Don K]

I think it depends on the number of laps they've completed. If that's more than a certain percentage, they are classified.

[Red]

Yep, a car is classified (even though not motoring) if it covers 90% of the number of the laps covered by the winner. That’s why for example 7 cars were classified at Monaco 96 but only 5 of them actually saw the flag. That means if a car is 20 laps down of the leader but crosses the line, it is not classified.

[Maxmil]

Originally posted by Red
That means if a car is 20 laps down of the leader but crosses the line, it is not classified.

OK, I understand the first part. If you finish 90% of the laps finished by the winner you are classified if you don't finish the remaining 10%.

But the quoted part seems to say something else. To rephrase it, could you say: "To be classified in a race you finish, you must be within 19 or less laps of the leader."?

I guess my remaining question is: "Why did they pick 20 laps as the standard for finishers"? It seems like it could be inconsistent with the 90% standard.

Lets take a 70 lap race: If I complete 62 laps and then blow up, I am not classified, but if I complete only 51 laps and finish I am classified.

But for a 50 lap race, the two numbers would be 44 and 31.

Or a 40 lap race, 35 and 21.

I suppose that makes sense, and the difference is widening which is as it should. You could get a crazy result on a very long course, or a very short one but there aren't any.

[badoer fan]

I think Red was trying to say that if a car is running, but has completed less than 90% of the laps then it will not be classified, and just using 20 laps as an example

[Red]

Yep!

[Maxmil]

Originally posted by badoer fan
I think Red was trying to say that if a car is running, but has completed less than 90% of the laps then it will not be classified, and just using 20 laps as an example

That makes sense; the standard is uniform, whether or not you finish.

Thanks to the both of you!

[Red]

Just as a curiosity, let’s take a look at the Spanish GP 2001. The gap between Michael and Mika was about 2-3 seconds for the first 43 laps, until Schumacher’s second stop. (He had some sort of mechanical problems after that, and he slowed down, some 3-6 seconds per lap for the remaining of the race). Entering lap 65 (last), the gap between Hakkinen and Montoya (3rd, one lap down) was 1 minute and a half, more than 1:22-1:24 that was a normal time. IF Schumacher could keep those 2-3 s. from Mika... then... the winner was Schumacher (the only one to complete 65 laps). Both Mika and Pablo completed 64, but Mika was the first to do the trick so he would’ve get second even though his car was parked. (In the end he was classified in 9th)

[paulzinho]

Monaco 82, didnt 2nd and 3rd retire on the final lap, but were on the podium because they had completed more distance than anyone else?

[Glen]

Even Alex Yoong probably won't get lapped seven times in a seventy lap race... Oh, I don't know though...

Of course he'll need to stay on the road for more than ten minutes.

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