FIA reinstates F1 rules for Japanese Grand Prix after Max Verstappen incident

F1 drivers will have to act differently in qualifying at Suzuka this weekend than they could in Singapore a week ago following intervention by the race director.

FIA reinstates F1 rules for Japanese Grand Prix after Max Verstappen incident

F1 drivers will have to act differently in qualifying at Suzuka this weekend than they could in Singapore a week ago following intervention by the race director.

Maximum lap times were reintroduced for qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix following several instances of alleged interference in Singapore.

Such a measure was applied during the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month. The drivers were backing into the final corner to get a clean lap during practice, but this created a dangerous situation.

As a result, FIA race director Niels Wittich imposed a time limit on all cars circulating between the two safety car lines for each qualifying lap. It prevents the driver from crawling around the track at extremely slow speeds and hindering others.

But this rule was not applied last weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix. And in that qualifying session, it almost happened that Max Verstappen was charged, then acquitted, of obstructing Sergeant Logan.

For this weekend’s event at Suzuka, a particularly tight track, Wittich didn’t even wait to see how the tests went. He reinstated this rule for safety reasons. In his pre-race note sent to the teams, the race director wrote:
“For the safe and orderly conduct of the event, except in special circumstances approved by the stewards, any driver who exceeds the maximum time between the second row of the safety car and the first row of the safety car on ALL laps during and after which the end of the qualifying session, including the arrival and departure laps, may be considered unnecessarily slow.”

However, the wording of this sentence does not mean that sanctions will automatically be imposed. This opens the door for the driver to prove that there was a reason why he could not meet the deadline between the two safety lines.

At Monza, for example, two Ferrari drivers were acquitted after being investigated for not meeting deadlines. They argued that they had to leave the line to let the car go faster, making it impossible for them to reach the safe line in time.

Verstappen still qualified 11th in Singapore and finished fifth, ending his record winning streak. Reflecting on this, the Dutchman told reporters at Suzuka that he “doesn’t care” about the fact that Red Bull’s struggles have resulted in a more competitive fight for wins and criticized fans who complained about his dominance.

He say:
“If people can’t appreciate that then you’re not a real fan. But that’s the way it is. That’s why I’m very relaxed about it too, because we I didn’t play and everyone else played better.” work than us. And of course, they deserved to win. They shouldn’t win because people say it’s boring for us to win.”