PexelsSeveral years ago, I took part in a provincial race that came to an end with a full course yellow. The official who was responsible for the finish had to make a decision regarding the location where the pace car would catch the leading group of cars. This decision extracted us two spots. We put a protest against this decision forward, but it was not accepted. As a result, the outcome of the race remained unchanged. Now when I think about the drive home, it remains in my memory, even more than actually being a part of the race. My wife has heard this story from me during the drive home twice so she definitely remembers it better than I do.
Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2021 was exactly the same incident but this time it happened under the conditions of the world championship. In the last moments of the racing season the race director made a decision. The only problem was that this decision violated the launch letter of the rulebook. However, the outcome remained unchanged. Everything that follows was taken from the FIA publication that was issued in March 2022 and the rulebook itself.
The last five laps, in order
| Moment | What happened |
|---|---|
| Lap 53 of 58 | Nicholas Latifi crashes, the safety car comes out with Hamilton leading |
| Under the safety car | Verstappen pits for fresh soft tires, Hamilton stays out to hold the lead |
| First message | Race control tells the teams that lapped cars will not be allowed to overtake |
| Second message | Five lapped cars, the ones between Hamilton and Verstappen, are released |
| End of that lap | The safety car comes in, rather than at the end of the following lap |
| Final lap | The race restarts, Verstappen passes Hamilton at turn five and wins the title |
Sequence compiled from the FIA report of March 2022 and the official race classification.
Lewis Hamilton was leading comfortably. Then Nicholas Latifi crashed with five laps to go, and out came the safety car. Max Verstappen pitted for fresh soft tires. Hamilton stayed out, because coming in would have handed the lead away, and the two of them sat behind the safety car with five lapped cars stuck between them.
Race control told the teams first that lapped cars would not be allowed to overtake. With one lap left, the message changed. Five cars were released, the ones sitting between Hamilton and Verstappen, and the safety car came in at the end of that same lap rather than at the end of the following one.
So the race restarted with a single lap remaining, Verstappen sitting directly behind Hamilton on brand new soft tires, against hards that had done more than forty laps. The pass came at turn five. The championship went with it, and a sport spent the next five seasons arguing about the ninety seconds before it.
The two lines in the rulebook
PexelsThe article 48.12 from the rules of sports for the year 2021 describes the procedure. If the clerk of the course decided that it was safe, and the signal had already been conveyed, the cars overtaken would have to pass the cars on the lead lap as well as the safety car. This article also made it clear that the safety car should leave the track at the end of the next lap.
There are two points in connection with the word that should be noted. First, the fact that the term “any” was used instead of “all,” can provide grounds for discussion regarding whether five cars could be considered as fulfilling the criterion in question. Secondly, the safety car did not complete the extra lap required by the article.
Article 48.13 explains the indication that shows that the safety car has left the track, and in this regard, it must be noted that the FIA discovered that articles 48.12 and 48.13 contradicted each other.
What actually the FIA report contains
| What the FIA report found | Wording |
|---|---|
| On the race director | Acted in good faith and to the best of his knowledge |
| On the lapped cars | Human error, following from a manual process for identifying them |
| On the safety car | Called into the pit lane without completing the additional lap required by Article 48.12 |
| On the regulations | Articles 48.12 and 48.13 could be read in different ways, which likely contributed |
| On the team radios | Messages from the team principals had a negative impact at a critical moment |
| On the result | Valid, final and not open to change, with no mechanism in the rules to amend a classification |
Quotations and findings from the FIA executive summary presented to the World Motor Sport Council in March 2022.
The report was transmitted to the World Motor Sport Council in March 2022 and is more interesting than what both sides have written about it.
Masi acted honestly according to the facts provided in the report. There was a mistake made regarding the failure to release all the lapped cars, and it was stated that this happened due to the fact that the action was carried out manually. Someone had to find those cars and provide the information via radio under pressure.
The fact that the call for the safety car was made a lap before was clearly considered a violation of article 48.12. It was also pointed out that during the laps in question the team managers were on the radio to the race director, which had a negative impact on the situation as he was dealing with it.
Based on this argument, the conclusion of the legal side of the case was made: The results of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 and the entire season are regarded valid, definite and final so there are no legal grounds for disputing the outcomes.
What changed afterward
Pexels| What changed | Detail |
|---|---|
| One word in the rulebook | The article became 55.13 for 2022, and "any" became "all" |
| Software | Identifying the cars that must unlap themselves was automated, since manual steps invite error |
| The race director | Michael Masi removed in February 2022, with two directors alternating events through most of that season |
| A virtual race control room | Set up in an FIA office away from the circuit, working the way a video assistant referee does |
| Team radio | Team principals lost their direct line to the race director during a session |
Changes announced by the FIA in February and March 2022, alongside the report.
The modifications took place in three steps, and the table above demonstrates all of them.
The rulebook layer was expressed in one single word. The 2022 rule turned article 55.13 in which the wording was changed from “any” into “all”, thus eliminating the interpretation that allowed the incident in Abu Dhabi.
The procedural layer involved the software application. The current need to know which cars should un-lap themselves was previously performed by humans, and FIA’s technical decision was aimed at automating this task since human errors occur under stress.
The people layer was by far the most impactful one. Masi was dismissed from office in February 2022. The role of race director was assumed by two individuals who were handling events in turns for most of 2022. Besides the new appointment, FIA created a remote race office that was operating similarly to video assistant referees in football.
Why it still gets argued about
Due to the fact that two parties bring up different issues, which they both consider to be valid. I have witnessed this dynamic unfold in paddocks, particularly over a decision that has only ever determined a single position and won a trophy that would be eventually returned.
One party claims that the proper procedures were not followed. The safety car failed to complete a further lap, the lapped cars were not released, and the rules of competition were not respected on the relevant lap. The FIA report is consistent with this argument.
The other side argues the sport. Races are meant to finish under green flags where it is safe, that preference had been stated by teams and drivers alike, and a title decided behind a safety car would have satisfied nobody either. This means that the preferred choice is expected in the brain of the race manager.
Both of these things can be true at the same time, which is why the discussion has been dragging on for nearly five years without progress. However, the report was neither able, nor could in any way, change the people’s feelings who have lost.
The part that has stayed with me
I have received a call that was not in my favor. Mine was for two places at a local race that only I remember, and it took me a couple of months to stop mentioning it at the dinner table.
What one fails to understand about the race officials is that difficult decisions can be taken in seconds, through two radios in two ears and by people who are not able to see all and who know it. In its report FIA was careful in using phrases “good faith” and “human error” which were spot on but did not offer any explanation.
What changed after Abu Dhabi was the procedure used to make calls. The rules were made stricter, the computer started doing what was manually done, the head of the team received support and less shouts in his radio.
What readers ask about Abu Dhabi 2021
A late safety car bunched the field, only five lapped cars were released instead of all of them, the safety car came in a lap early, and Verstappen passed Hamilton on the final lap to take the title.
The FIA report states that the safety car was called in without completing the additional lap required by Article 48.12, and that not all lapped cars were allowed to unlap themselves.
The report says the results are valid and final, because the regulations contain no mechanism for amending a classification after the event.
He was removed from the race director role in February 2022. The FIA report found he acted in good faith and described the lapped car decision as human error.
The wording moved from "any" to "all," the identification of lapped cars was automated, race direction was split between two directors for most of 2022, a virtual race control room was created and team principals lost their direct radio line.
Jake Holloway is a club racer, track-day instructor, and motorsports editor based near Charlotte, North Carolina. He has raced karts, Legends cars, Spec Miatas, and amateur endurance cars, and he writes for GreenyCars about how racing actually works, from the rule book to the pit lane.
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