xpb Formula 1: Monaco penalty against Schumacher
20.05.2010
N after the race in Monaco the waves hit high in the Monaco paddock. Was Michael Schumacher's overtaking maneuver permitted in the very last corner or not? In the Mercedes-Motorhome you were sure to have acted correctly. At Ferrari, on the other hand, they demanded a penalty against the German.
But even a look at the regulations could not resolve the dispute. Proponents of a penalty cited Article 40.13, which says that it is no longer possible to overtake under the safety car on the last lap. The Pro-Schumacher parliamentary group opposed this with paragraph 40.11, which allows overtaking from the safety car line as soon as the race is open again. The self-appointed Mercedes lawyers also included misleading messages and signals from the race management in their argumentation.
Regulations not clear enough
In the end, however, it was of no use. Michael Schumacher was punished and thrown out of the points. Mercedes withdrew a possible appeal against the judgment at the last second. So it should be little consolation that the World Automobile Federation (FIA) has now admitted that the case is not entirely clear.
'The problems that arose in the last lap of the Monaco GP , have shown that overtaking behind the safety car is not clearly prohibited according to the rules, 'said the FIA on Thursday (May 20th) in a statement on the case. Therefore, improvements should now be made.
The regulations will be improved quickly
'Adjustments to the regulations are necessary to make it clear that cars have to line up on the last lap if the race is through a safety car is neutralized and to ensure that the signals to the teams and the drivers are clearer. These improvements will help to avoid problems like in Monaco in the future. '
The changes are intended be included in the catalog of rules as soon as possible. 'At the request of the Sport Working Group, the F1 Commission will present an appendix to the sporting regulations to initiate the issue. The FIA World Council will discuss these appendices at the next meeting in Geneva (23 June).'
