Brown backs F1 driver calls for qualifying red flag penalties
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has backed Carlos Sainz’s call for penalties for drivers who trigger red flags in Formula 1 qualifying sessions and spoil other people’s laps.
The issue returned to the spotlight after Sergio Perez’s Monaco Q3 accident became a topic of conversation in the wake of Max Verstappen’s refusal to cede a place to his teammate in the Brazilian Grand Prix after being instructed to do so by Red Bull.
Sainz, whose Ferrari was damaged when he hit the Red Bull of Perez in Monaco, said on Thursday that drivers are keen to see penalties for those who ruin the last runs of rivals by bringing sessions to a premature close.
Brown brought the subject up in the meeting of the F1 Commission in Abu Dhabi, who agreed that it should be discussed in the FIA’s Sporting Advisory Committee, the body that helps to frame the regulations.
“I think what Carlos said, I think it should be red flags or yellow flags, for effectively impeding a driver from completing their lap,” he said when asked about the matter by Motorsport.com.
“They do that in other forms of motorsports, the penalties, you just lose your fastest lap from that session, and all the drivers tend to do one lap runs so that would penalise the driver if it was intentional or unintentional. Because you've messed up someone else's laps.
“I think that's an easy solution, it can be implemented right away. You cause a driver to have to back out, you lose your lap, you get to go again and maybe you won't have a chance.
"Maybe you will or you have to use another set of tyres. I think that's the easiest way to solve it.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes AMG, Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing
Photo by: Erik Junius
Other team principals agreed that the subject was worthy of consideration.
“I agree with Zak also that this is a good idea,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
“I think it exists in Formula E, if I'm not mistaken, that your quickest lap is deleted. So that's something that we can implement.”
However, Aston Martin’s Mike Krack suggested that it would be hard to police, adding: “I do not have a black and white opinion on this.
“I think we need to really look case-by-case, going to sporting advisory and maybe have a look at the last 10 years where we had situations, because it's quite quick to pre-condemn someone, when it was not good.
"I think it would be easy to say yeah, it has to be like that, but I think it will be a tough call to do it.”
Aitken joins AXR for Rolex 24, Dixon confirmed at Ganassi
Haas F1 boss Steiner to release book ‘Surviving to Drive’ in April
Winning MSR Acura "super lucky" with Rolex 24 gearbox scare
The Meyer Shank Racing Acura team was "super lucky" that it was able to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona despite having a malfunctioning gearbox for most of the race, according to team founder and co-owner Michael Shank.
Bourdais “surprised” Cadillac was beaten on pace in Rolex 24
Chip Ganassi Racing ace Sebastien Bourdais has expressed surprise that the Acura ARX-06 outperformed the similarly new Cadillac V-LMDh around Daytona.
Rolex 24: Meyer Shank Racing wins again, leads Acura 1-2
Meyer Shank Racing scored its second consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with its Acura ARX-06 shared by Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, leading home a one-two for Honda's prestige brand.
Stunning Porsche Rolex 24 comeback halted by technical gremlin at Daytona
Porsche’s Nick Tandy stormed back into contention for the overall lead fight in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, only for his 963 to be struck by a technical failure that sent it to the garage.
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.