“This is a serious matter” — why the FIA just fined Racing Bulls €30,000

Motorsport photo The phrasing of official communications from the FIA’s stewards tends to be deliberately dry and factual, but a note of schoolmasterish anger was manifest in the document announcing and explaining a €30,000 fine for Racing Bulls after Liam Lawson ’s breakdown forced Formula 1 practice to be red-flagged in Canada. Lawson’s car halted with a hydraulic problem within 10 minutes of the sole practice session for this sprint weekend getting under way, but the marshals were unable to move it. That in itself presents a problem at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, an older venue that doesn’t have the space to accommodate the perimeter roads expected of newer tracks, complicating the task of removing stricken cars.

Even so, since all cars must be fitted with a so-called Clutch Disengagement System (CDS), which acts even if the onboard hydraulics and electrics have failed, it should have been possible for the marshals to push the VCARB 03 into one of the gaps in the barriers while covered by a virtual safety car (VSC) deployment. Instead, the session had to be red-flagged, and race control added five minutes to the end of the session to compensate. For breaching Article C9.

3 of the FIA F1 Regulations, Racing Bulls was fined €30,000, €20,000 of which was suspended for 12 months “subject to no further breach of this regulation by the competitor, for either of their cars”. This brings an element of peril for the team, since it has emerged that FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer has previously warned Racing Bulls about its CDS design, which is unusual in that it also services the car’s anti-stall system. Article C9.

3 states: “All cars must be fitted with a means of disengaging the clutch for a minimum of 15 minutes in the event of the car coming to rest with the engine stopped. This system must be in working order throughout the competition even if the main hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical systems on the car have failed. ” Liam Lawson stopped on track in the sole practice session for the Canadian GP Liam Lawson stopped on track in the sole practice session for the Canadian GP The system is activated by a button that must be clearly marked, and located facing upwards on the monocoque so it can be reached and activated within five seconds by the driver or marshals.