Official: Daniel Ricciardo penalized on the starting grid!
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo was penalized by the track stewards for not respecting the imposed speed under red flag conditions during the second free practice session.
No one is a prophet in their own country! This saying is well known to Daniel Ricciardo, as the Australian goes from disappointment to disappointment, year after year, during his home Grand Prix in Australia.
Last year, the Red Bull driver had to retire from the race due to a mechanical problem, and this year, the penalty comes even earlier as the race stewards decided to penalize him three places on the starting grid for Sunday for not slowing down sufficiently under red flag conditions during the second free practice session. Indeed, the session had been interrupted for a few minutes to repair a faulty cable on the start/finish line.
The stewards’ statement specifies: « Ricciardo actually failed to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU in the penultimate and last of the mini-sectors. The stewards also noticed that Ricciardo slowed down by 175 km/h compared to his best times at turn 12 and was consistently and significantly slower in the last three turns, demonstrating that he fully complied with the requirements of Appendix H of the International Sporting Code. However, he admitted to a mistake in reading his screen and was therefore slightly below the minimum time »
A sanction that may therefore seem very severe for the local participant but that applies the regulations to the letter: « Article 31.6 was added this year to ensure that drivers sufficiently reduce their speed during a red flag. A violation of this rule is viewed as an extremely serious matter. However, in this case, the stewards carefully studied the situation and found that the driver had significantly slowed down, so that no danger was created, and the driver proceeded with diligence. As a result, the stewards impose a less severe penalty than usual, and impose a three-place grid penalty and two penalty points [on the Super License]. » conclude the stewards.
But while there was no real threat to the safety of anyone, the FIA does not emerge strengthened from a penalty that risks causing much tension among the local public.
