I've been looking through the various
FIA regulations – sporting and technical – to see what the regulations and penalties are with regards to the events in Germany. But there's some very interesting regulations within that I'd like to share as well:
1. Although most penalties given due to incidents in a race are pit lane drive-throughs, other penalties can also be given, including stopping for ten seconds at a driver's garage in the pits before continuing.
2. This is how the commentators tell the difference between the team cars: the first car has a florescent red on-board camera, and the second car has a florescent yellow one. I'd assume 'first car' means the one with the lowest number, so Jenson Button would have a red camera, and Lewis Hamilton would have a yellow one.
3. The control of the use of tyres in the race is very strict. In practice 1 (P1) and P2, only three sets of tyres are allocated, two of the 'prime' tyre and one of 'option'. After P1, one of the 'prime' sets is put out of use, and then after P2 the other two sets are put out of use. The other eight dry tyres that the drivers are allowed are then released to the teams, but they have to give one of each type back before P3. So drivers are left with three of each type of tyre for the race – which should be fine, as using six sets of tyres in a race is crazy! They also have four intermediate sets (damp) and three wet sets. The wet ones run out a lot more quickly, but I suppose if it was that wet, they'd stop the race.
4. Fortunately, the 'use the tyres you qualified on' rule only applies to dry weather tyres, and if it's still dry at the start of the race.
5. There are very specific times in which the three practice and three qualification periods are set out, so I'm not sure why Formula 1 show the next race timetable on their website all the time! Q2, for example, will almost always take place between 14.27 and 14.42 on the day before the race unless (as happened last weekend) there's an incident in Q1 requiring red flags.
6. The FIA are very concerned about press relations, and require up to five drivers to attend a press conference the day before P1. And they make sure the times of this fit will European schedules, with North/South American races having a morning press conference (otherwise, it's in the afternoon). They also have one at 16.00 on the first day of the event, with 3-6 randomly selected drivers. In fact, all drivers
have to make themselves available to the press if they go out in Q1 or Q2, and after Q3 if they don't have to go to the 16.00 press conference. Similarly if they retire during the race. So note to everyone who wants to be in F1: you have to be prepared to talk to the press, because regulations mean you can't say no.
7. There are very strict regulations on what happens at different time periods before the race. For example: all tyres must be fitted by three minutes before the formation lap. If this is disobeyed, drivers will receive a ten second stop penalty in the pit lane.
8. Here's one Michael Schumacher should have read up on before Monaco: if the safety car is going round and comes in, drivers can overtake after they've crossed the first safety car line. However, if it's the last lap then this rule doesn't apply and cars have to pass the chequered flag without overtaking.
9. I can't find anything specifically relating to what happened between Massa and Alonso, but it was probably a breach of the FIA code in that it seems to come under “Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally.” I'd appreciate an correction on this point if you can find it.
Remember, I did all this so you don't have to. And I'm not 11points, which is why there are only 9.
Correction: Article 39.1 of the FIA Sporting regulations says that team orders that interfere with a race result are prohibited. But Massa claims that he would have moved over anyway as he was struggling with the tyres. Ferrari, meanwhile, have received the largest possible fine for this action.
