The FIA wants to increase safety in the pits

Following an incident in the pit lane during the German Grand Prix, the FIA has decided to enhance safety measures in the pit lane during races.

At the Nürburgring, during Mark Webber’s first pit stop, the Australian left his pit without his right rear wheel being properly secured; it then went on to hit Paul Allen, a cameraman for FOM. An incident for which the Red Bull team was fined.

The International Automobile Federation hopes to have two measures approved with immediate effect for this season: « In order to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the future, the FIA, at the initiative of its President, Jean Todt, will propose to amend the sporting regulations of Formula 1. To accomplish this, the FIA has informed the teams that the approval of the World Motor Sport Council will be sought for two amendments to the sporting regulations. These two changes have already been approved for 2014. However, for safety reasons, the World Motor Sport Council will be asked to implement them with immediate effect. These changes are:

Article 23.11, which now requires all personnel working on the car during a stop to wear a helmet.

2) Article 30.12, which will implement a speed reduction in the pits during races from 100km/h to 80km/h (with the exception of Melbourne, Monaco, and Singapore, where due to the track configuration, the limit remains at 60 km/h).

It is also worth noting that accredited media personnel in the pit lane will now be directed to the pit wall. The FIA is also awaiting a report from the Red Bull team, which will be shared with all teams to enhance safety for everyone in the pit lane.