Max Verstappen‘ s unique driving style has already caused the regulations to be rewritten several times. Prior to the third race of the season, the world champion has succeeded once again: the FIA is implementing a modification in response to Verstappen’s actions.
Update FIA
This time the FIA puts a line on side-by-side driving at the moment the safety car drives back into the pit lane and the race resumes. In both Bahrain and Jeddah, Verstappen pulled up to alongside Leclerc as he approached the final corners at the restart. Incidentally, Verstappen had varying degrees of success with this in the past two Grands Prix.
Nevertheless, the FIA has now come up with an update: “In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking nor any manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart.”
Acceleration
In other words: On the restart, drivers may pull up alongside their rival, provided that the entire car remains fully behind the predecessor before the race has resumed.
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