David Croft has called on Formula One officials to revise their current regulations. This plea comes in the wake of widespread confusion regarding Fernando Alonso’s podium finish in Saudi Arabia.
In response to this issue, F1’s Sporting Advisory Committee has scheduled a meeting on Thursday, which is expected to address the Jeddah incident as a major point of discussion.
In an effort to enforce stricter penalties for Formula One drivers, David Croft has proposed that the current regulations be simplified.
Specifically, Croft suggests that drivers should be immediately penalized the moment their mechanics touch their car while serving a penalty.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s Podcast, Croft emphasized the importance of this revision and expressed his hope that the rules will be rewritten accordingly during the meeting on Thursday.
“I do hope that on Thursday of this week, the rules are re-written that say you can’t touch the car,” Croft remarked.
“Some teams may think that’s not a very good idea but it is a much clearer way, don’t touch the car. So just rewrite it so no one touches the car, everyone’s in the same boat.
“They can hover millimetres away and then get to work on it. Put some sensors on the car, that’s logical isn’t it but that’s weight and the teams don’t want extra weight.”
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Fernando Alonso faced a 10-second penalty during the race in Saudi Arabia when Aston Martin’s rear jack touched his car while serving a previous grid infringement penalty.
This resulted in George Russell from Mercedes inheriting the podium, which he graciously accepted while conducting post-race interviews in the media pen.
However, a surprising turn of events occurred when Alonso was reinstated in third place after Aston Martin successfully appealed the penalty.
Following an investigation, the FIA acknowledged that there was “no clear agreement” on whether touching a car during a penalty constituted as working on the vehicle.
In response to this controversy, the FIA has announced that the issue will be discussed in the next meeting, and clarification is set to be issued ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
Despite his call for regulatory changes in Formula One (F1), David Croft has expressed concern that team managers may resist these revisions due to potential loopholes that could arise.
He added: “I put this to a couple of leading team members at a Formula One team.
“I said ‘right, Thursday, sporting advisory council, you’re all going to get together and the rules are going to be re-written. ‘Oh I wouldn’t say that Crofty. It’s very technical, it’s very complicated. No it’s not just make sure you can’t touch the car.’
“‘Oh we can’t have that. What about the front jacks? If the driver comes in and he brakes a bit too late, doesn’t stop on his marks and hits the front jack we are going to get a penalty.
” The front jack doesn’t need to be there, it’s not a fast pit stop you’ve got five seconds. The teams will find reasons why it’s not very simple.”
