FIA GT1 San Luis - overtaking under local yellow???

[Coach Ep]

Just finished watching the FIA GT1 race at the amazing track near San Luis, Argentina. What a mess!

Not gonna do an entire race summary (it can be reviewed on the official GT1 website soon), but the thing that stands out for me are the penalties applied to both team championship contenders Young Drivers Aston Martin and JRM Nissan. The surviving cars of both teams were deemed to have passed under SC after the massive start shunt and received drive-thru penalties that decided the championship in favour of the outsiders, Hexis Aston Martin.

It must be said that in the immediate aftermath of the start shunt, there was a lot of confusion, no red flag was thrown (the only decent decision IMHO) and no yellow and/or SC boards were displayed. Also no message from race control was shown on the TV screens, it appeared that the race was actually still under green. Most cars in the reduced pack slowed down as they anticipated that the race was going to be neutralized on very short notice, however it didn´t (at least not for another 20 to 30 seconds or so), so some cars accelerated again and - notably the Aston Martin no. 7 and Nissan no. 22 - passed other cars. The Aston actually took the lead before the SC was truly deployed! The only yellow flag that was displayed to the passing field was on a post at turn 1 or 2 and it wasn´t accompanied by a SC board. Also, there wasn´t a waved green flag on the next post.

Race officials only penalized these two cars. Others passed as well but got away with it so it seems. Doesn´t make sense and I can´t believe what a mess the race official made of the possible Gt1 farewell race...

I have a strong feeling that this one will be decided from behind the green table and fear that Hexis´ joy will still be spoiled!

[Michael24]

Maybe we should start a thread, called "what do you do next ...".

In this case: you're race control and have just seen the situation arrive at the point, where everyone stacks up, behind the SC.

I think (like you) a red flag is the only solution. They didn't and now it's a mess. I wondered what the RaceControl access point thingy door whatever room must have looked like, when everyone realised that the race wouldn't be stopped and sanctions might be imminent. Any good team manager sends his most verbally able (wo-)man to the tower. Stakes are simply to high not to.

It's a part of racing I really don't like: whingers in the tower, but then again: stakes are too high to play around.

Michael

[Burnsie]

Interesting words from Alex Muller in this week's Autosport magazine (P52):

There was a yellow flag - I saw it afterwards on TV - but I think many drivers didn't see it. It was after the first turn in a corner where you're concentrating on the exit. After, I saw two or three marshal posts and there was nothing.

Nothing out of the ordinary so far, just a driver giving his opinion and the television pictures would seem to support his view. However the next comment is slightly concerning, and one that I'm sure the FIA will be looking into...

Then I had the engineer on the radio saying, 'Safety car out.' I thought, 'Yeah, but it's not the engineers who should be telling me, it's the flag marshals.' And then I started passing. The race director shouted at me. If I were to talk to him in the same loud voice I would get a penalty. I am really angry. I don't want to see him again. If I see him I will punch him.

So what seems like a breakdown in communication somewhere in the chain between Race Control and marshals' posts, and/or marshals' posts and the drivers, has resulted in a potentially championship-deciding decision being made (rightly or wrongly, you decide) and a driver wanting to punch the Race Director.

[Peat]

Sad state of affairs when the series' only takling points this year have been controversies.

[skells22]

I better say something here, the track was not blocked and the as the FIA states if there is a start line crash cars can go into pit-lane under safety car, this is on Youtube if you want to have a look at the overtaking at the yellow flag. and of course unless there was a injured person so the pace car was the right call in my book (and also keeps TV on its plans)

[Burnsie]

Yes I have to agree with you, skells. It might not be what the spectators and TV viewers want to see, but as I saw it there was no reason to stop or suspend the race. The Race Director isn't concerned with "putting on a show", that's for others to worry about.