During the final round in Mexico City, FIA stewards had to assess the qualifying performances of George Russell, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso as they stopped at the pit lane exit.
The drivers explained their actions by saying that they wanted to release the cars at the front, but could not do this directly on the track, so as not to violate another requirement: the minimum lap time. In Mexico City, the stewards did not impose any fines on them, but before the start of the race weekend in Sao Paulo, FIA race director Nils Wittich issued instructions stating that drivers are not allowed to stop at the exit of the pit lane during qualifying.
“Under paragraph 33.4 of the Formula 1 Sports Regulations, drivers must not drive unreasonably slowly, including stopping the car in the pit lane,” the FIA said in a published document. – During pre-sprint qualifying and main qualifying, a driver may stop to create a gap with the vehicle in front in the area after the pit exit lights and before the second safety car line.
Any driver wishing to stop to create a reserve must move as far to the left as possible and allow all others to pass on his right when exiting the pit lane.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
