McLaren broke a curfew at Suzuka
The British team was present in their garages very late on the evening of Thursday, September 21st during the Japanese Grand Prix.
It is rare to see team members in the pit lane on a Thursday evening. It is typically between Friday and Saturday that there is nocturnal work. But McLaren evidently needed to be busy with their cars to prepare for the practice sessions.
According to document 7 provided by the FIA commissioners, mechanics from the British team worked late in the stands. « Last night, the personnel of the McLaren Formula 1 team, who are involved in the operation of the car, were present at the circuit for a period of fourteen hours starting at 5:30 PM on September 21, eighteen hours before the scheduled start of the first free practice session and ending four hours before the scheduled start of the GP1 at 7:30 AM on September 22 », the commissioners indicate.
“This is McLaren’s first curfew breach for what the FIA considers as the first period. As a reminder, the sporting regulations of Formula 1 state that there are three different curfews, each with several exceptions assigned to them. Article 23.7 specifies:”
– Curfew 1: Starts 42 hours before the start of FP1 and ends 29 hours before.
– Curfew 2: Starts 18 hours before the start of FP1 and ends 4 hours before.
– Curfew 3: Starts 13 hours before the start of the EL3 and ends 3 hours before.
If McLaren were to break three more curfews, both drivers would be forced to start from the pit lane.
