FIA comes up with new rules around pit lane after Ocon incident in Baku
F1 News
- GPblog.com
The FIA has tightened the rules for the 'post-race procedure' after Esteban Ocon encountered a rather remarkable situation last week when the Frenchman wanted to get new tyres. Indeed, the pit lane was already full of people.
Last week in Baku, Alpine decided to complete an unusual strategy with Ocon. The Frenchman started on hard tyres in the Azerbaijani capital and hoped for a late safety car. That safety car did not come, however, and as a result Ocon only visited the pit lane one lap before the chequered flag fell.
Many people had forgotten that Ocon still had to come in, but after all, two tyre compounds have to be used in a race. The Alpine driver drove into the pit lane at the end of the race, which was already packed with people. After the race, there was much discussion about the dangerous situation in the pit lane.
FIA comes up with a new protocol
This was obviously a situation no one wants to see and especially not the FIA. Moreover, it was also very dangerous, as Ocon could have hit someone in the pit lane. To prevent such a situation in the future, the FIA has adjusted the rules.
In particular, the tightened rules make it clear that no one is allowed to enter the pit lane until every car has reached the chequered flag. If you do, you can prepare in advance for a visit to the stewards. The exact tightening rules can be found in yellow in the official FIA document below.
Source: FIA