The Race Director’s Notes are an important document of every Formula 1 Grand Prix, in the sense that they generally consist of instructions that establish the link between the regulations and their practical application.
Sometimes they supersede the actual interpretation of regulations, and we recall in particular that until last year, former race director Michael Masi used them, among other things, to determine the status of the track limits at each circuit. , which could also sometimes contradict or not respect the spirit of the rules in force in this matter.
At the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, those notes were at the center of another confusing episode. During the race, held first in wet, then drying and finally dry conditions, Max Verstappen skidded out of the pits during his second stop as he re-accelerated just after Santa Devota. In doing so, the Red Bull driver crossed the yellow line out of the pits.
However, the Race Direction Notes, provided at the Monte Carlo street circuit by Eduardo Freitas , seemed quite clear on that subject in their article 11.1: “In accordance with Chapter 4 (Section 5) of Appendix L of the CSI [Code Deportivo Internacional], drivers must stay to the right of the solid yellow line at the pitlane exit when exiting the pits and stay to the right of that line until it ends after Turn 1.”
It is based on this that Ferrari chose to file a protest against the Dutchman for this alleged infraction, but also against his teammate Sergio Pérez, since in the summons of the two Red Bull drivers it can be read that these protests take place “against cars #1 and #11 for allegedly not keeping to the right of the yellow line at the pit exit.”
Although the complaint against Pérez was short-lived, since the Mexican was never in contact with the yellow line (something that Ferrari recognized in the hearing before the stewards), Verstappen drove on the yellow line (all parties had agreed to recognize it) and, according to the Race Direction Notes, this did not comply with keeping to the right of the race. The main argument of the Italians was, therefore, the breach of the Clerk of the Course Notes, while recalling that in the past similar situations had been resolved with sanctions (the example of Yuki Tsunoda was cited prominently in the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix ).
The problem for Ferrari is that Freitas admitted that a clumsiness in the establishment of the notes had created a difference between what they indicated and the current regulations. Indeed, the 2022 version notes were a “copy and paste” of those of 2021. However, between 2021 and 2022 the wording of article 5 of Chapter IV of Appendix L of the International Sporting Code changed. This is how the translated text appears in Spanish:
| 2021 version of the International Sporting Code | Except in cases of force majeure (recognized as such by the Stewards), any line painted on the track at the pit exit and which is intended to separate the cars leaving the pits from the cars on the track may not be crossed by any part of a car coming out of the pits. |
| 2022 version of the International Sporting Code | Except in a case of force majeure (recognized as such by the Stewards), no tire of a car leaving the pitlane must cross any line painted on the track at the pit exit intended to separate the cars leaving the pitlane. pit cars on the track. |
The difference is obviously greater in a case like this, as the strict application of one version of the rule or another to Verstappen’s situation would have changed the outcome of the case. This Sunday in Monaco, the stewards only had to refer to the International Sporting Code to dictate their decision and reject Ferrari’s request: “In this situation, the car did not ‘cross’ the line, it should have a complete wheel to the left of the yellow line line to do it,” said the conclusions of the decision. “As a result, the pilot did not violate the relevant section of the Code and this takes precedence over any interpretation of the notes.”
In addition to that error on the part of the race management that created a difference between two texts that the teams could legitimately refer to in relation to the application of the rules during a grand prix weekend, this situation allowed the stewards to establish a jurisprudence, a priori clear, relating to these situations in which the regulations (be they specific F1 regulations or the International Sporting Code) contradict the Race Direction Notes.
“Article 2.1 of the 2022 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations states that ‘all […] stewards […] undertake to comply with all the provisions […] of the International Sporting Code [and] the Regulations Deportivo'”, we can read especially in the first part of the conclusions of the stewards regarding Monaco’s decision. “This imposes on the race director (and the stewards) the obligation to comply with these rules. Consequently, the notes issued by the race director cannot contradict the Code or the Sporting Regulations.”
Following Abu Dhabi 2021, a number of changes have been made to the way Race Direction works and its new strongmen, Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas , appear to be taking a more stringent approach in enforcing a number of rules, some of which have also been clarified or rewritten between seasons.
The Monaco episode, in an event also marked by some confusion linked to weather conditions, is a strong reminder for new race directors that the slightest lightness on the subject (in this case, a “copy and paste” of the notes of 2021) can quickly have important consequences, especially when there is a fierce battle between two teams.
