Update: Michael Schumacher has been handed a 20 second penalty for the incident described below, moving him out of the points positions and Sebastien Buemi into them.
The talk of the paddock following the Monaco Grand Prix is of course the incident which saw Michael Schumacher jump Fernando Alonso after the safety car went in on the last lap of the race.
Normally throughout the race, cars are allowed to overtake once they have passed the white safety car line, which is what Michael Schumacher did, but Ferrari are complaining as the regulations suggest that on the last lap such passes are not allowed:
If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pitlane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.
Despite this, there was no message from the FIA saying that the race was to finish under the chequered flag, just that the safety car was coming in, and therein lies the problem.
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As much as I think it is a stupid rule, the rules are the rules and according to the quote above, Michael Schumacher’s move was illegal. To me the rules seem slightly contradictory, and it is open to interpretation. To me, because there was no message from the FIA saying that the race was to finish under the safety car and because the green flags came out, Schumi had every right to race to the line, but it is a very tricky one for the stewards and the former driver on the panel, none other than Schumacher’s old sparring partner Damon Hill.
What is your opinion? Legal or illegal?
This is about how one interprets the rules; but I think it was legal.
The FIA would be right only the lights were yellow and not green and if the safety car crossed the finish line on that lap, which it didn’t.
So..as far as I’m concerned the pass was LEGAL.
ILEGAL
Regardless of opinions, rules are clear and were written before the race. Therefore if the rule says:
“If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it (the safety car) will enter the pitlane at the end of the last lap allowing drivers to finish the race under the chequered flag as normal”.
I am no saying i like or dislike this rule, but i think it is very clearly explained and it is not the first time this rule is brought up under similar circumstances. So ILEGAL
I agree, it’s Legal. Schumacher took a reason opportunity. From my perspective, the safety car needs to cross the finish line, if the race is to be finished under the safety car.
Under http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8687/
When the safety car is ready to leave the circuit it extinguishes its orange lights, indicating to the drivers that it will peel off into the pits at the end of the current lap. The drivers then continue in formation until they cross the first safety-car line where green lights will indicate that they are free to race again.
In exceptional circumstances, such as in extremely poor weather, a race may begin behind the safety car, which will put its orange lights on at least a minute before the start to indicate this. When those lights switch to green the safety car will lead the field around the circuit in grid order.
Overtaking on this first lap is not allowed, unless a car has a problem. The safety car will peel into the pits at the end of the lap and drivers are free to race once they have crossed the line to commence the next lap.
Since it is not raining or whatsoever, drivers are free to race again when the safety car come in and green light/flag deployed. They just need to cross the first SC line and that’s what MS did.
As for MS haters they sure said is ILLEGAL, as MS lovers they sure said is LEGAL, but as a neutral guy who support FERRARI, i would say in this case MS and Mercedes has all the right to appeal the decision made by stewards which formed by some MS haters.
If it was meant to be a safety car finish, then why did Race Control issue a track clear message and marshalls issue green flags. It seems Race Control and stewards are at odds on this one. The drivers are guided by on track status as indicated by the flags and lights. Green means clear track. Yellow means caution, no overtaking. Are FiA seriously suggesting that a driver needs to weigh up whether a green flag is really a green before executing an overtake? Nonsense.
Decision needs to be overturned. You can’t punish a driver for a mistake by Race Control.
The FIA state – “40.4 When the order is given to deploy the safety car the message “SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED” will be displayed on the timing monitors and all marshal’s posts will display waved yellow flags and “SC” boards for the duration of the intervention”
By the time Schumi overtook Alonso, the SC boards were no longer displayed, the green lights were on and green flags were waved (as per 40.11) … therefore, by the FIA’s rules, the Safety Car was no longer deployed, and 40.13 was irrelevant
So – the pass was legal … how can the stewards claim otherwise?
People watch this Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQerOq_7DcA
I think that Ross is right ,it was the green flags that were waved by the FIA why will Schumi pay the penalty?
So sad that Mercedes don’t want to appeal… I think FIA already paid them undertable money because if the result change, those bookies sure pressure FIA and i think bookies was also one of FIA biggest “sponsor”…