There has been much huffing and puffing about the reprimands given to Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber after the Singapore Grand Prix. At first a lot of us thought that sounded ridiculous but the FIA wisely chose to show film of the incident and that changed a lot of minds, because Alonso stopping on the racing line and Mark Webber running on to the track did cause some exciting moments for the cars that arrived behind them. The penalty was not for riding on the car per se, but for how it was done. Webber does not agree but I think drivers sometimes do things in the heat of the moment, when they are still pumped up, which do not seem to them to be dangerous after two hours at high speeds. I think it was unwise and also unfortunate because that gave Webber a third reprimand and thus a grid penalty. Given the current pace of the Red Bull the penalty may not make much of a difference.
The fact that Webber found a picture of F1 steward Derek Warwick riding on a car in his career is not really relevant. Things were different then.
joeblogsf1 
Rosberg, one of the drivers that had to take avoiding action (ha!) didn’t even mention the incident on his post-race video blog, so he couldn’t been too bothered by it. I doubt he would shy away from bringing it up if he thought it had been dangerous.
Have to agree Joe. With all the advancements the FIA and F1 have made to increase driver safety, only to have a driver killed because of hitching a ride would be very sad.
Also lucky that the penalty did not affect Alonso’s (faint) championship chase.
Joe, thank you for this simply yet insightfull explanation!
Oh come on man. These are some of the best drivers on the planet! Do you think it is that dangerous for them to do this and are not capable of avoiding Alonso easily? I don’t care if it is in contradiction to the image the FIA wants to portrait, with the safety bs and all that clap, its motor racing for Pete’s sake. A real race fan should demand this kind of stuff not condemn it.
And would it still be good if Webber had been run over? Read what the drivers said and see the video before spouting forth.
Moreover, when Webber gave Alonso a lift in 2011, there was no penalties because the circumstances under which is happened were completely different. It might just be Jeroen, gasp shock horror say it ain’t so, that the Marshals were right?
I’m sure the marshals were right, what I am saying is that F1 is a risk sport and this is yet another example of how in my view the sport loses appeal, can’t these things be discussed behind closed doors with a slap on the wrist, without the FIA needing to drum on about stupid road safety which has F*** all to do with F1. It is the same with doughnuts at the end of a race, also not allowed as it could of course be dangerous!
Does it say that in the rules?
having looked at the footage (bit low of you to assume I would not have looked at that first but oh well) it would have been near impossible for anyone running over Webber as he is on the inside of the line in a corner. Alsonso stops in a decent place as there is plenty of space going over the kerb and runoff area as many do during a the race. As one other commenter already states above, Rosberg did not seem to bothered as he has said zero about it.
Your view was so odd that I assumed you could not have seen what happened. If you had and still felt the way you did then you have an odd point if view.
I agree with Jeroen. Nico and Lewis had to steer around Alonso’s car, but so what ? they’ve just spent two hours reacting to events in a split second at 200mph – no way was this going to faze them. Also, you say “Alonso stopping on the racing line”? I thought the race had finished.
Ok it was a bit dodgy, but this is Formula One, not teaching kids to ride bikes. This overreaction is exactly the reason so many F1 fans are off to Moto GP. I might be joining them sooner rather than later.
I suggest you find a MotoGP blog…
I wonder how closely you looked then Jeroen as cars passed on both sides of Alonso’s Ferrari so no matter which side Webber approached from, cars had to take avoiding action in his direction.
I have to disagree. Alonso didn’t see Webber till the last minute and Webber nearly gets clipped on the inside. If Alonso had seem him earlier he would have gone straight ahead at the escape road to pick him up.
Maybe Jeroen here is engaging some reverse psychology that we are missing.
Oh we cant ever have a different opinion than joe can we – that just won’t do! tut tut
You can have an opinion. But that doesn’t mean you are right.
Sorry Joe – it wasn’t meant as a dig at you, more a comment on some of the other posters 🙂
Did no one watch the gp2 after race crash. Two hours of on the extreme edge racing means fatigue, chequered flag signals rest. It was dangerous.
If you had ever sat in a modern single seat car wearing a full face helmet and balaclava, you would realise that you have what amounts to tunnel vision. Even the best drivers in the world cannot see people running in from the side and what a sad end that would have been to Mark Webber’s career to have been either killed or badly injured. I think the stewards got it absolutely right in this instance. Wilson
If you look carefully at the video you’ll see that Nico and Lewis dodge around Alonso’s car, not Mark’s body, which was already on it.
If you look carefully at the video you’ll see that Nico and Lewis avoid Alonso’s car, not Mark, who was already sitting on it, perfectly safely.
Try to think what would happen if LH hit FA’s car with Mark “perfectly safely” seated on top of it.
+1 zillion
The rules are published and every team has a copy (and any of us can download them). Webber was reprimanded for breaking the rule that says that drivers can’t walk on the track between the parade lap and all cars being in parc ferme unless you have permission from the marshalls. So say the stewards let him off. That amounts to a license for any driver to break that rule because Webber was let off so why shouldn’t everybody else be?
Same if they let Alonso off. He was reprimanded under a rule that says you may not stop on the track on the cool down lap but must proceed to parc ferme unless you car cannot make it. This is the rule he was reprimanded under earlier this year. So he really should have known better. But, again, if the stewards let him off then they have to let off anybody else who contravenes.
If you, or Webber or Alonso, really thinks that what happened was stupid then please leave the stewards out of it (not the marshalls, they don’t dish out reprimands). The stewards have to apply the regulations as published. They do not and may not just suck things out of thin air. So respect the stewards and their job and agitate to get the regulations modified.
Exactly, it’s motorsport. So no place for pedestrians running on a circuit. Safety rules are there for a reason, as motorsport is risky enough already. And yes, these are some of the best drivers on the planet, but that does not make them immune to mistakes or distractions. S**t happens sometimes.
That nothing happened does not make it less dangerous. And besides, all they got was a slap on the wrist, no big deal right? It’s just that it was Webber’s third slap on the wrist already, earning him a grid penalty. If that hadn’t happened, this blog post would probably not exist and neither would this whole discussion or outrage.
Im also not sure about the fairness of the fine either, surely Alsonso is the main culprit, if he had not stopped where he did Webber would not have been enticed to run onto track. Alonso triggered the incident, and gets a rep. Webber accepted an offer and gets a grid walk.
Hmmm I distinctly saw Webber waving Alonso down.
Also they both got the same punishment. Webber has had two previous incidents which means he punished on a cumulative basis. I think the reprimand is right, though it is a shame it results in a penalty.
hhmm, both got reprimand.only, but since it was thrid rep for Mark, he got the grid penalty.
they both got a rep it just so happened to be webber’s third and that means grid penalty unfortunately for him
Yes they were different. And a damn sight better!
You sound like retired Colonel in Cheltenham…
I went through the same process until I saw the video. It’s sad that that kind of camaraderie is no longer allowed but it wasn’t at all a sensible place for Mark or Fernando to do it and so with elf and safety being what it is nowadays the penalty was fair
I think you’ve got it spot-on. Stewards though, had the option of a fine rather than a reprimand which would have been perhaps a better option for the sport.
The stewards no longer have the option of monetary penalties for the drivers. I believe this was agreed and implemented due to the substantial increase the FIA levied on the drivers for their super license fees. If I’m not mistaken now even speeding in the pit lane fines are issued to the team and not the driver. I stand to be corrected of course.
So according to the sporting regulations, the stewards can
“…drop a driver any number of grid positions at the next Grand Prix (so, for example, if the driver in question goes on to qualify on pole, a ten-place penalty would for drop him to 11th). They can also impose time penalties, reprimand a driver, exclude him from the results, or suspend him from the next race.
Any driver receiving three reprimands for driving infringements during a season will automatically receive a ten-place grid penalty for the current or next event.”
Source: http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8683/
yes, they weren’t so hypocritical!
I too thought it was a storm in a tea cup, but having seen the footage he was lucky that he wasn’t hit by Hamilton let alone getting something stronger than a reprimand. I wonder if he’s seen the footage since?
I wonder if he’s seen the footage since?
>> I’m sure the stewards must have shared their findings with the guilty parties. And its two days since the incident, I’ve seen any tweets of apology from either Webber or Alonso. And if anything is to go by Mark Webber chose to post Derek Warwick hitching a ride photo, and stir the pot further.
Totally totally agree, it was fortunate the two drivers following did not hit Alonso.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone http://www.blackberry.com
I remember reading a great “tale” about, I think, Brambilla, His brother was mechanic and they were having trouble with a misfire so brother suggested sitting on the back of the car, whilst it did a slow lap, to diagnose the problem. Unfortunately Brambilla (if it was he) forgot he was sitting on the back and completed an over-enthusiastic lap and arrived back at the pits without him. Adding to the tale, it apparently took 30 minutes to find the unfortunate brother who had ended up somewhere trackside in the undergrowth.
Of course the tale probably got better in the telling but does someone know the detail?
Tino driving. Vittorio falling off. I believe.
Actually, I believe it was Tino driving, and Pino (mechanic) falling off.
If I remember correctly, Giacomelli fell from Warwick’s car at Montreal in 1983 and injured his foot.
The only injury of the year.
After verifying in that year’s Autocourse, it wasn’t from Warwick’s Toleman, but rather from Rosberg’s Williams that Giacomelli fell.
I remember seeing a photo of Bruce McLaren riding on the back of one of his cars tuning the engine and no one batted an eye. Things have changed and we move on.
Joe. Whilst I agree that you are factually correct, emotionally I think that the Stewards reprimand has too much of a consequence for the trivial nature of the event. These are the worlds 20 greatest drivers – or so we believe – so avoiding a stationary car on a slow down lap is no great shakes. There is no service road for Mark to get back on, I doubt he carries his mobile in his race suit to get a taxi. I have (as a younger man) Marshalled at race events, and convincing a racing driver that the track upon which he earns is living is too dangerous for him to be on is flogging a dead horse. The reason there is a lot of huffing as you call it is because there was precious little else in the race to discuss. We sit on the brink of an era where the Newey-Vettel combination may be utterly dominant, if McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes can’t get to grips with the Red Bull we the mugs who pay to watch this stuff will stay away. In the Brawn-Schumacher era I regularly watched whole races on fast forward and only pressed play if he broke down or there was a chance of him being beaten. Michael was a great driver, but it was boring watching him win time and time again. God forbid that we have Vettel as World Champ for the next 6 or 7 years in a row, I might start watching football.
Something I would like to know – What is happening to Hulkenberg? He was ordered to let a car past, when he had no reason to, have Sauber appealed? How are the Stewards going to correct that one? If you reverse the logic he should get advanced 5 grid slots, and I can’t see that happening.
It would be very wrong for the stewards to base their decisions on the consequences. That Webber already had two reprimands to his name is entirely his fault, and that his third resulted in a grid penalty is his problem. Each incident should be treated as an individual case, regardless of the consequences or emotions involved (or whatever the stewards in question may or may not have done in the past themselves).
+100 for everything. I’ve yet to see the follow-up to the ridiculous Hülkenberg incident.
Yes, I too would love to see Warwick’s explanation for that decision. Perez was never ahead and Hulkenberg had to run a bit wide to avoid a collision (When is Perez going to stop racing like he is in GP2? Or, rather, when will the FIA enforce driving standards in GP2 so we stop this onslaught of GP2 nutcases before someone gets hurt?). It appears that the Hulk was punished for avoiding a collision, which is a most amusing change in FIA policy.
It would be fascinating to have the drivers rate the driver stewards like MLB players rate umpires at the end of each season…
There are four stewards at every meeting. They react to reports from the race director and make decisions based on reports put before them. It is any extraordinarily efficient and advanced system. If the FIA has a failing it is in communicating the reasoning behind decisions. As I have explained the real story is often not obvious because we have less information than they do in race control and competitors respect the system far more than the fans do as a result.
When Warwick hitched a lift, motor racing was dangerous……. Now the only danger (apart from really freak accidents) is to people on foot, usually in the pit lane and marshals. The rule is that you can’t go on track unless given approval by the marshals, so for Webber to say he had no contact with the marshals is rather shooting himself in the foot….. I also agree that a lot of the character has gone out of the sport, but times have changed (I’ve been attending and tv watching since the 60’s) and some things are better and some worse; it’s just different. If we don’t like it, we don’t have to watch!
Motor racing by nature will always be dangerous.
Allan Simonsen, Yoshinari Matsushita, Marco Simoncelli
Not to mention close calls, Antony Davidson, Robert Kubica
None of these were freak accidents.
Webber has yet to show any contrition and in fact has made comments in the media defending himself and calling the penalty silly. I think he needs to look at the video first. Come on Mark, we expect better from you! If you made a mistake, own up to it.
Let me bring my 50 cents: I aggree, stewards did the right job, but I also think moments like this one should be part of F1, Dangerous – yes, cool – for sure!. Exactly what the crowd wants. Otherwise it is boring especially in this part of the season, when Vettel is cruising to finish from pole.
Must have been no other news from Singapore it’s all that’s been on the news since the weekend, MW go sit on the naughty stool
There is other stuff happening but more slowly.
Agree entirely.
Webber posting that picture showed he didn’t get the penalty. The penalty was for where Alonso stopped and how Webber got on. If it was off the racing line then there would have been no issue.
Reprimands were totally fair cop, but the grid penalty is harsh. I blame Grosjean, Maldonado and Petrov for racking up so many reprimands that this 3-strikes rule had to be created.
Honestly speaking reprimand was a very light penalty Webber had. I’m sure FIA expects more sense from its superlicense holders and its ambassadors promoting road safety initiative.
Mark Webber is my new Neil Horan. Those who don’t know who Neil Horan is Google Neil Horan and Silverstone 2003
If that’s really what you think, you’re my new Neil Horan.
I’ve seen the footage. Running out onto the track from a runoff area and waving Alonso down was foolish- his bones break like those of anyone else.
In spite of his protestations, Webber is, on this occasion, very much in the wrong. Being the straightforward guy he is, after reviewing video of the event in question, I would expect him to admit to his mistake and apologise.
All: We need to remember – the reprimands were NOT for Webber riding on Alonso’s car.
Webber ran onto the track after being specifically asked not to by marshals – and he ran right across the racing line. This is surely dangerous.
Alonso stopped on the cool-down lap, right on the racing line, just after a corner. This is also dangerous, although I’d argue maybe less so than being on foot.
As far as I can see, this has nothing to do with camaraderie, great images of drivers past getting lifts or entertainment.
And the grid penalty is because Webber (of whom I am a fan) has been in trouble twice before.
All seems totally reasonable and fair to me – just unfortunate in how it looks on the surface.
Seen the video. Two of them. Totally agree.
Maybe it would be good to use the drivers’ briefing before the next race to hand out a leaflet “The FIA code for safe and acceptable ways of hitch-hiking by stranded drivers and giving lift to them after the checquered flag.” Paragraph X should read “Driving 100 kph in second gear with an unsecured passenger on a sidepod is deemed too dangerous and may be subject to examination by the stewards and eventual penalty.” 🙂
I disagree that Warwick having done the same is irrelevant because things were different then. Nothing has changed in the anatomy of the human body nor has there been any change to the speed of cars. It was just as dangerous then and is just as dangerous today.
Maybe alonso could have stopped off the racing line, but keep In mind that these are the best drivers in the world, with arguably the best reflexes in the world and driving cars that can brake from 200 mph in 50 mts or less.
With regards to webber running onto the track – Come cross a road in india and you will realise it just takes a little common sense and small cojones. Almost all these drivers have both. It was no biggie.
And the reported reaction of the FIA will be very absurd if they do go ahead and ban these taxi rides. It’s cool for us spectators and I love it. The FIA is just being a big a@& killjoy.
I don’t think you understand my point. Attitudes have changed.
The FIA attitudes may have changed but many fans attitudes have not changed and maybe it is the FIA who is out of step…… Just a thought.
You’re right that things were different back then. Different spelt BETTER. F1 is in danger of disappearing up its own behind. Mark has made the right choice moving to WEC. it’s a much better series with better racing, less bullshit and cares about the fans which F1 hasn’t for a long time.
I don’t agree. Some people don’t like change but I think F1 is very healthy and a great spectacle.
Joe, one of the reasons I follow you is because you are a “progressist” when it comes to embrace change. Your position on new engines, kers, safety etc are enlightening. People like you ensures the sport progresses, gains new audiences and keeps up with time. thanks for giving a true connoisseur alternative opinion to counterweight those fans who think any past time was better. F1, as anything else, has to evolve or die. And that, above all, includes safety issues.
I have to say Joe that I’m really disappointed in your take on this. I always thought you stood for the traditions of the sport as warriors in battle who take a pint together afterwards (unlike that ghastly film we’re all going to see soon). Instead it seems you’ve signed up to the do-gooders and image-tamperers. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I really hoped for a bit more Jenks and a bit less Ron.
Whatever.
Mark has made the right choice moving to WEC.
>> true rolling starts 🙂
Glad to hear that you like the idea of drivers dying they did then and don’t now! ….and you can’t hitch a lift in WEC either. Things move on
Joe
I agree with your views except that I disagree that an incident of this nature should lead to a racing-related penalty. Why just not apply a big fine that discourages drivers from doing this in the future?
Just as racing incidents need racing-related penalties, non-racing incidents shouldn’t really affect the racing…
It did not. The problem was Webber’s other reprimands.
Understand that but why not treat this type of incident as different from impeding someone in qualifying, speeding under yellow flags, avoidable contact etc. which clearly are a direct breach of racing rules. My issue is that a reprimand for this can be accumulated with reprimands for racing incidents to produce a racing penalty.
When a driver is impeding other driver in qualy…the stewards skip the reprimand phase and issue a penalty right away…Are you suggesting that they should soften that part also? If thats want you meant, any minute know people will start complaining that there are no pony rides, cotton candy and balancing elephants in the races to amuse the public….a real circus.
Joe…most of them (the ones that find the reprimand unfair) still don’t get it…the problem was not the reprimand, but the sum of reprimands accumulated by Webber….
If Alonso draw a gun and forced Webber to hop in the car…(Alonso’s 1st reprimand: excesive use of force, Alonso’s 2nd reprimand: handling of a dangerous weapon while in track)
….and if Webber decided to act as told at gunpoint and hoped into the car (Webber’s 3rd reprimand: violating safety best practices while trying to avoid being killed to death by a driver with a gun)….it’s the rules!!!!!! 3 reprimands = 1 sanction!!!
Is this so difficult to understand??
No. We get it but don’t agree with it. I have an ethical problem with a judicial system that accumulates sporting infringements and then adds something like this to them and it results in a penalty against the drivers grid for the next meeting. It seems that a number of people believe its wrong judicially. It is simply unjust in their eyes. I agree with them.
And you are entitled to disagree! Thanks for your world class way of expressing your disagreements, just what I expect to find here at Joe’s.
Now, because of my profession, it’s better to look at things in a very pesimistic way, this approach gives me the advantage to be prepared when “worse case scenarios” leave the papers, reports, statistics an probabilities and become reality…most of the time all of us get caught in the “that won’t happen”, “you’re just being pesimistic”, “you have to think positive!”…and when bad things do occur it’s too late to react.
Problem is that the GPDA has specifically asked FIA to use reprimands instead of fines when penalising drivers.
Just as racing incidents need racing-related penalties, non-racing incidents shouldn’t really affect the racing…
>> In that case how about FIA revoking superlicense? Aren’t these the FIA brand ambassadors promoting road safety?
After 13 odd years in F1 and previously in feeder series, both the drivers showed lack of judgement and were let off with slap on the wrist. http://twitpic.com/dev94n
http://twitpic.com/dev7lp
There is an agreement between GPDA and FIA that drivers will not get monetary penalties now that the annual super license fee is so much higher. So the stewards either penalise the team where they plausibly can or issue reprimands to the drivers. The stewards really had very little choice in the matter.
Yesterday I was caught speeding by a mobile police camera, on a straight stretch of dual carriageway near my house, with no other traffic in view.
I cursed all the way home, cursed the lawmakers, cursed the police (“I bet they speed too”) for not spending their time catching the next murderer / child molester / burglar / other motorists, and made lots of excuses to myself; I mean, I raced in FF many years ago so I must be able to drive faster and safer than anyone else, etc etc etc blah blah blah.
But, at the end of the day, I knowingly exceeded the speed limit and have no choice but to accept the consequences. I am a big Webber fan, but sometimes you just have to accept you made an error of judgement and move on…
Speaking of reprimands was Brawn GP ever punished for a part coming loose from their car and hitting Massa in the face? The incident happened a few years ago yet can’t recall reading about the outcome.
I think the precedent was set when Kimi Raikkonen/Ferrari was not black flagged at Magny Cours 2007. The Finn circulated around the track after a refueling stop with unsecured flap fluttering precariously, till it gave up. At 260-300 kmph that moving part could have taken out another car, Marshal, or a spectator. Normally, the team should have brought the driver in and fixed the issue, which they didn’t. The race control should have black flagged the car, which Charlie didn’t ( nothing new with Charlie though). I’m sure even if there was chatter among the stewards at Hungary’09 Ross Brawn would have used the Magny Cours precedent to his benefit.
I don’t know if you have noticed but a great deal has changed since 2007.
Dear Joe,
As Mark Webber’s other half, understandably I have genuine concern for my man’s safety… possibly more so than anyone else who has cared to comment herewith. However, as I was flying to Australia almost immediately after the race, I didn’t see the CCTV footage until I landed. However, now that I have, I have to say I think I run more risk trying to catch a taxi in London!
Hello,
Lovely to hear from you. I’m explaining why judgement was passed, not passing judgement. I think the real problem is that it was a bad example for others. Mark doesn’t deserve a 10-place grid penalty for what was going on but is it not better to have rules that are solid so we all know where things stand?
Then that is what is at the root of the problem Joe. If the penalty is therefore inappropriate then the judicial system is failing to provide a just outcome which is why so many race fans don’t like it….
What do you want? Should be have fan referenda during races to see how people should be punished? The system that exists is good and it is fair.
Mark got punished because he has transgressed on too many occasions. One can argue every penalty I am sure but they are what they are.
We’re gonna miss your man. He’s been a class act putting up obvious favouritism as graciously as one could, not an easy task considering the competitive nature of these guys and the F1 environment. Glad to see him take matters in his own hands and take the lap with Fernando receiving the fan applause, best part of the race. One may think he didn’t give a ‘rip’ good on him he’s entitled at this point. Best of luck in 2014 time to have fun again.
Hello Anne,
Everything Andrew says below and more. Nice to have a bit of perspective from she who worries the most! (Example to others indeed. We’d wish all our F1 drivers to be like Mark). Lots of positive vibes for a win (or two) before the end of the season!
Cheers to you and him.
and the grid penalty could of been a fine had the drivers themselves not specified the penalty for three reprimands two of which were driving releating to be a grid penalty…
The Webber taxi ride is overblown.
First, Alonso stopped on the racing line; exactly what drivers avoid on their cool down lap as they intentionally drive off-line to pick up as much rubber debris as possible before the car is weighted.
Then, as you say Joe, the drivers were still pumped up. We saw from Alonso’s in-car video that he was cruising at around 50/60 KPH, so if the others were driving twice as fast – without a passenger’s leg in their cockpit – a Rosberg or Hamilton can immobilize their car in a fraction of a second, after all aren’t they the best drivers in the best cars?
I’m sorry Joe, but excusing Warrick’s own taxi ride by saying it was a different time doesn’t work. The physics stayed the same but technology/cars have improved, as you know, giving Rosberg and Hamilton much better tools to avoid contact.
It was a sporting gesture on Alonso’s part that wasn’t as dangerous as some people make it out to be.
It works for me.
As in: so many sporting gestures offset so many bad behaviour incidents. Makes sense, eh?
When I first heard about the penalty I was appalled . After seeing the video and reading Hamilton’s comments about the encounter he almost had with Weber .. it all made sense . Though I do think a rather substantial financial fine would of been more appropriate than a ten place grid penalty … seeing as how this is Weber’s last year and the man … if it weren’t for bad luck … wouldn’t have any luck at all when it comes to his Red Bull .
While I generally admire Mark Webber, I think he was in the wrong in this case. I encourage others to Google “Bubba Shobert Wiki” and read the Wikipedia entry about his Shobert’s extremely promising 500cc Grand Prix motorcycling career was pointlessly cut short because of post-race shenanigans like the Webber/Alonso event in Singapore. There is also a video in the “References” section of the Wikipedia entry, though it is awful to watch.
Racing is inherently dangerous, that’s part of the sport and part of the appeal. But there’s no point in making it more dangerous, outside of the actual race itself.
Thanks for this. Have just seen the Shobert YouTube footage. Very bad smash, and at relatively low speed. Just shows that the concentration/attention must be maintained 100% until you arrive back at the pits. You just can’t take safety for granted at anytime you’re on track, irrespective of the speed or whether the race has finished. Applies to cars & bikes!
Thank you Joe. Your insight is sane and insightful, as usual. After watching the clip, I am somewhat surprised that Alonso escaped more substantial rebuke. That was dangerous.
It was on the slowing down lap anyway, what speed was Alonso and others travelling at, with their lightening reactions that we are often told about? All a bit of a fuss over nothing and getting out the CCTV will they do that for other indiscretions, such as taking too many ice creams from the team freezer or too man cans of energy drink? Get a grip F1!
Even one of race stewards hitched a lift in days gone by!
Times have changed
Well at least next year Mark will have a team that respects him and hopefully provides him with a reliable vehicle.
The video footage is on YouTube, search for “CCTV footage of the Alonso/Webber taxi incident”.
Absolutely with you 100% on this one Joe. It is (or should be) common sense. OK, Mansell giving the great Brazilian a lift back to the pits at Silverstone (1991 I think it was?) gave us all one of the most wonderful ‘images’ of the sport during the past two decades or so however, what scared me about Sunday was the thought of what could have happened if Hamilton had ‘collected’ Webber coming round the bend unsighted. At Silverstone 1991, any following driver would have had a great view of what was happening. On a closed street circuit like Singapore, a different story. Even though the speed was very low by F1 standards, it’d still be enough to do very serious damage to Webber or much worse. The headlines and posts of this blog would then, I suspect, have been much different.
Making another boring rout by Red Bull a bit more interesting. So thank you to Webber and Alonso from the spectators.
While technically this behavour was incorrect and the drivers were punished.
Would it not then be wrong to use the footage for the benefit of promoting the Sport – Usually these types of spectacles end up on highlight reels or compilations. That hypocrisy seems unfair but I guess thats life, one party pays and the other benefits.
It’s a shame Mark Webber won’t be with us next year as he’s the last of the ‘old school’ drivers.
Mark is perhaps more suited to another era of Formula One; manual gearboxes, clutch pedals, heavy steering and big balls, unlike the playstation generation we have today.
The punishment does not match the crime!
I agree with the vast number of comments I have seen in numerous social media and blogs. If the oncoming drivers were unable to avoid a car sitting in the racing line whilst actually on their cool down lap, they should not be pilots of those machines anyhow. I was close by and watch both Rosberg and Hamilton pass. They were both driving at very slow speeds for those cars.
Whatever the views are, the sport needs these types of, ‘off the cuff’ ‘spur of the moment’ pieces of entertainment.
The stewards need to review their punishment. Its way too severe.
A reprimand is not a tough penalty. The fact that Mark had three is the problem. That is the rule. Do they change the rules because of it? Of course not.
It is obvious that many people are confused about why the penalty was issued. Mark Webber was penalised for receiving three warnings in a set period time, not for riding on the side a car. His third offence could just as easily been for j walking or littering, it’s the three strike and your out rule so it is very clear.
Joe, thanks for your reply. I think the real problem is the actual reprimand system which was introduced as a way of stamping out bad driving standards rather than merely fining the drivers which was having zero effect on repeat offenders. Have a look back and tell me if you think Mark deserved his first reprimand? Most felt it was an utter disgrace but with no appeal process available, he had to take it on the chin. His second reprimand was for not slowing down sufficiently for yellow flags which was a fair cop and so no complaints there. The system has become flawed because it’s not capturing the main perpetrators and the drivers are at the mercy of the stewards with no recourse to appeal.
I agree with some of what you say, but a sport must have rules and structures. What happened was unwise. It is unfortunate that MW gets the penalty but everyone is always talking about inconsistent decisions and this system is designed to promote consistency. Sometimes these things have to happen “pour encourager les autres”. I’ll be cheering Mark on as he charges through the field in Korea. See you there?
Yes; I’ll also be cheering him on as always not just the next race but next year as well. Wish him all the best and will miss him in F1 greatly.
Many of us wish Mark well in the WEC next year, and hope that he enjoys racing the Porsche LMP.
Sometimes these things have to happen “pour encourager les autres”.
Yeah, and everybody and his dog knows that when it’s just for that reason it’s unjust and generally a cop-out as well. “Set an example” “draw a line in the sand” “create a precedent” – in my experience the weasel words of people not game to stand up to be counted.
So I presume from this statement that I am not willing to stand up and be counted and I am using weasel words? Really? Well, you obviously do not know much about me. I am willing to fight all the way if I deem something to be an injustice, so it would be best if you apologise for your silly and disrespectful remarks.
Mark and Fernando did something that was deemed to be wrong. The Race Director and the Stewards are there to decide such things. Fans can have their opinions but they do not have the information, experience and understanding of the officials involved and it is wildly arrogant to think you do. The fact that this created a situation in which Mark got punished because of three reprimands is unfortunate but it is written in the rule book and so it must be obeyed or else people like you will warble on about the inconsistency of decision-making. This is consistency and it is necessary to maintain it.
Was it just a sporting gesture, or were both driver / passenger REALLY determined to see MW carried home by his team’s biggest rival in the title fight?
Both seemed to see it as too good an opportunity to miss.
am sure there was another ride round the corner, that could have safely picked him up
Yawn… I think you need to go and have a lie down.
It’s dangerous out there and anything can happen. Who can forget Michael Schumacher, early in his F1 career, hitting the back of a rubbish truck on the Autobahn? I certainly hope they don’t let the drivers catch rides back to the paddock on the back of motor-scooters. That’s dangerous, too. I am confident that all the drivers will be much more safety conscious as a result of this penalty.
Why not write something sensible, instead of wasting your energy with this.
There are clearly two different metalities going on here.
Mentality A: It’s a live track. Running onto a live track is dumb. Sitting on a race car in motion is also dumb. It’s all very risky. No need to take safety risks.
Mentality B: It’s a race track. You are supposed to get injured or killed when racing. Duh. Plus, it was awesome. Big deal. Who cares.
The people with Mentality B are what we call “Morons”.
And that is really all there is to say about it.
To be honest, I was one of those who initially thought the FIA were being their usual selves…..
Then I saw the footage and changed my mind. Alonso was parked after the apex of the corner in the middle of the track, so there had to be a bit of Webber having to us the Green Cross Code.
It’s just lucky for both that the penalties weren’t higher.
Roll on the next race.