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FIA to take “immediate steps” to avoid repeat of “dangerous” Ocon F1 pitlane near-miss

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Ocon extended his starting hard-compound Pirelli tires until the final lap, with his Alpine team hoping a safety car or red-flag incident might create an opportunity for the driver to secure a cheaper pitstop.

In the absence of such incidents, to avoid disqualification and similar to Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Ocon was required to pit at the checkered flag to put on a set of soft tyres.

But with Sergio Perez gearing up to take the title, F1 personnel had begun entering the pit lane and appeared to be imminently setting up obstacles, forcing Ocon to refrain from action.

The FIA ​​therefore summoned its own parc ferme representatives before its stewards, explaining that the incident “fortunately” ended “without serious consequences”.

The governing body has called for an immediate remedy for the end-of-race pit lane agreement, with input from Formula One’s governing body and the FIA, to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.

An FIA bulletin reads: “The stewards have listened to the views of the FIA ​​representatives and have determined that the relevant representatives have taken steps to establish the park area and allow the media and other personnel to congregate in the pit lane and pit lane on the final lap. The pit lane was open at the end of the start race, before Ocon made his final pit stop.

“We noticed that it was not uncommon for the delegates to allow these guys into the pit lane before the end of the race, which is the normal parc ferme and podium ceremony preparation process.

“However, in this case one driver had to pit on the last lap, which created a very dangerous situation for the drivers who were in the pit lane at the time.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, at Parc Ferme

Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, at Parc Ferme

Photography: Simon Galloway / motorsport pictures

“We consider it fortunate that what happened today did not have serious consequences.

“We stress that the requirement to ensure safe and orderly activity is of paramount importance. This has been acknowledged by the FIA ​​team.

“We discussed the relevant procedures and protocols in detail with FIA representatives and asked them to take immediate steps to reconsider them with relevant stakeholders, including FOM, teams and the FIA, to ensure that this situation does not happens again.

“The FIA ​​representatives regret what happened and assured us they will do so in time for the next race.”

Notably, a similar situation occurred at the end of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, when Williams driver Alex Albon made a late pit stop.

There was no FIA hearing or follow-up.

“It’s not what we want to see,” Ocon said of his account of the Baku near miss.

“I don’t understand why we start podium preparations and ceremonies when we’re still racing, with a lap to go and people who haven’t pitted.

“Arrived at 300km/h (186mph), braking very late, I saw obstacles and people around me. It was crazy, it could be big, big today.

“It’s definitely something that needs to be discussed because it’s something we don’t want to see.

“If I had missed the braking point, it would have been a catastrophe, so it was a crazy moment.”

The spokesperson of the FIA ​​said that it has received the decision of the director, and the relevant procedures will be updated in time for the next Miami race.

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Mercedes summoned over F1 Spanish GP parc ferme rules breach

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The German manufacturer saw Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish second and third respectively in Barcelona, ​​behind race winner Max Verstappen, taking the team up to 11 in the constructors’ standings. second.

But a few hours after the race, the team was notified that team members may have violated the regulations for the post-race parc ferme area set up in the pit lane.

The FIA ​​asked a representative from Mercedes, plus Hamilton and Russell’s medical examiners, to report to the stewards on Sunday night.

The teams are regularly informed before the race who and who are not allowed to enter the parc ferme after the race.

There are also strict limits on how long physiotherapists are allowed to interact with drivers before the podium ceremony.

In a note sent to the teams ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday morning, the FIA ​​said: “In addition to the team mechanics (and cooling fans if necessary), officials and the FIA ​​pre-approved TV crew and the FIA Federation-approved photographers, no one else will be allowed into the designated area once the car enters the Parc Ferme area (no team PR).

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, 3rd, celebrates at Parc Ferme

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, 3rd, celebrates at Parc Ferme

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

Furthermore, it added: “The driver physiotherapist must wait outside the cooling room behind the podium until the end of the podium ceremony in accordance with the instructions given to all teams by media representatives.”

This is not the first time that a driver’s physio has been in breach of parc ferme regulations.

Also read:

At last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, the top three drivers Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Hamilton were all suspended and fined €10,000 for similar parc ferme violations.

That was because the team doctor entered the parc ferme area in the post-match moments, violating the guidelines issued earlier in the day.

Should a violation occur, the circumstances could be subject to similar penalties, rather than risking a sporting penalty that could affect the outcome of the match.

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Mercedes must report to stewards after alleged parc fermé violation

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Mercedes may be in trouble. The team had to report to the stewards of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for the alleged breach of post-race procedure.

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Verstappen went for fastest lap despite warning: 'Knew it could be done'

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Since you can get 26 points, why should you be satisfied with 25 points? That was Max Verstappen’s mind as he successfully attempted to set the fastest lap in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix.

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