Fia, another mess in Shanghai: Norris on pole, or rather no, then yes. Here’s what happened

Lando Norris in pole position. Actually no, but yes. A few drops of rain were enough to bring chaos back to Formula 1 and reignite the controversy against the FIA: in the sprint qualifying of the Chinese GP the age-old issue relating to runway limits, this time even capable of influencing the outcome of the fight for the first place on the starting grid of the Sprint Race on Saturday morning. After setting the fastest lap of the SQ3 session in 1:57.940, the McLaren Englishman was relegated for going over the track limit of the Shanghai circuit, only to be rehabilitated after the time expired while Lewis Hamilton was preparing to celebrate the pole sprint. Here’s what happened on the track and why the International Federation changed its initial verdict, generating confusion at the end of qualifying.

THE FACTS

—

To explicitly talk about the limits of the circuit is thearticle 33.3 of the sporting regulations of Formula 1, which establishes that drivers must “make every reasonable effort to use the track and not leave it without justified reason. All situations in which no part of the car remains in contact with the asphalt will be considered infringements. To avoid any doubt, the white lines that delimit the track are considered part of the track, but not the curbs.” Upon closer inspection, the Norris maneuver does not fall into this category, which in fact he goes over the curb in turn 16, but only on the previous lap to what allowed him to take pole. But why did the stewards initially decide to cancel Lando’s time given that there had been no infringement of article 33.3 in his fastest lap?

THE EDITOR’S NOTES

—

If it is true that Norris does not go off the track on the pole lap, it is equally true that he ends up beyond the white line at the conclusion of the previous lap, passing onto the gravel. It is this eventuality that led the FIA ​​to make a rather sensational error of assessment. To fully understand it, however, we need to take a step back: it is not only the sporting regulations that talk about the drivers’ obligation to respect the limits of the circuit, but also the notes from the race director. This is a specific document for each track and which therefore changes in all GPs, which in some tracks (for example in Sakhir and the Red Bull Ring) requires the cancellation of the next lap as well in the event that a driver ends up over the line white in the last curve. Which is also logical: taking advantage of the asphalt escape routes to launch yourself onto the straight also has effects on the following lap.

IN SHANGHAI

—

In the race director’s notes relating to the Chinese GP, however, there is no indication in this sense: article 13 in fact limits itself to reiterating how, at every point of the track, the drivers must remain with at least a portion of the wheel this side of the white lines drawn at the end of the roadway. However, there is no explicit provision for the cancellation of the next lap for those who end up outside the track limits in the last corner and the reason is easy to understand: starting this year, after the curb of turn 16, a gravel strip has been positioned which alone is already enough to slow down the cars and prevent anyone who ends up off the track from taking an illegitimate advantage on the following lap. A situation that the McLaren team principal, Andrea Stellahe explained well to the microphones of Sky Sports after qualifying: “Here, if you go out in the last corner, you start the next lap at a much lower speed. Effectively Lando lost almost three tenths due to that mistake in the last corner of the previous lap”.

Don’t miss the entire new season of Formula 1® and MotoGP™ live streaming only on NOW! Activate the Sports Pass from €9.99 per month and enjoy Sky sports in streaming!

THE MESS

—

The Federation was therefore wrong to cancel Norris’ time by basing its decision on a rule that is often included in the race director’s notes, but which was not explicitly included in the specific documents of the Shanghai weekend. Consequently, the decision to readmit Norris to the top of the rankings is therefore the right one, albeit with some timing may have negatively influenced rival Lewis Hamilton’s final lap: the Mercedes champion was in fact the last to cross the finish line, and may have slowed down knowing he was certainly in pole position after Norris’ exclusion. Undoubtedly a mess, which fortunately has little influence on the outcome of the championship, but which could have generated endless controversy if it had involved two title contenders in a fought World Cup. Not to mention that theexcessive taxation in the application of the rules on the limits of the track, especially in slippery asphalt conditions, risks becoming a boomerang for the Formula 1 show.