Australian GP: Controversial red flags analysed after Max Verstappen claims Melbourne victory

After a massively dramatic Australian Grand Prix that featured three purple flags, Components 1’s officiators are as soon as extra coming beneath scrutiny for his or her utility of the principles.

Every of Sunday’s three purple flags in Melbourne was disputed, with the latter two within the closing phases making a weird and frantic end at Albert Park.

Regardless of holding on for victory, world championship chief Max Verstappen questioned the selections after the race, with the Dutchman saying the race administrators “created the issues themselves”.

Because the loss of life of long-time race director Charlie Whiting in 2019, F1 have didn’t discover a lead referee trusted and revered by all groups, with earlier incumbent Michael Masi sacked after his controversial overseeing of the 2021 Abu Dhabi finale that noticed Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the world championship.

This newest episode of confusion and discontent on the Australian Grand Prix will solely enhance the stress on present race director Niels Wittich, who is ready to be in command of all 23 races this season after sharing the position final 12 months.

With the mud selecting what was nonetheless an exhilarating Grand Prix, Sky Sports activities assesses whether or not the selections taken have been justifiable…

Purple flag 1: Albon crashes into barrier

What occurred?

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Alex Albon crashes out of the race and brings out the purple flag on the Australian Grand Prix.

With the race having already been interrupted by a Security Automotive after Charles Leclerc was left beached within the gravel on the opening lap, the officers have been known as again into motion once more on lap six when Alexander Albon crashed.

The Williams driver misplaced management of his automobile and spun on the exit of Flip 7, changing into a passenger as he thudded into the barrier, earlier than being left stranded on the sting of the observe.

The clean-up operation started with a restoration automobile approaching observe and lifting the Williams off the bottom, however as that was occurring, a purple flag was thrown with the presence of particles and gravel on observe the rationale for the choice.

How did it impression the race?

The large losers have been George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who pitted from first and fourth respectively.

Their choices to cease had been made beneath the Security Automotive, with Mercedes and Ferrari not anticipating a purple flag would comply with. Each assumed, due to this fact, they have been taking an affordable pit cease.

The highest eight had all began on medium tyres, and the pondering was that the contemporary arduous compound tyres each drivers placed on would give them an opportunity of going to the top of the race.

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A number of drivers virtually collide and alter locations as they made their strategy to the grid for the race restart.

The purple flag noticed the race stopped, and gave new chief Lewis Hamilton, and Verstappen behind him, the possibility to vary their tyres and preserve their place.

Russell dropped all the way down to seventh, whereas Sainz would resume in eleventh.

Was the proper resolution taken?

Russell was adamant the unsuitable name had been made.

“I am fairly disenchanted initially with the choice to red-flag the race – no phrases for that,” he mentioned after later retiring from the race following an influence unit failure.

“We had an identical scenario in Saudi with the Security Automotive popping out in pointless circumstances.

“I believed we made the proper resolution pitting beneath the Security Automotive, I used to be stunned after I noticed Lewis and Max keep out and I used to be fairly happy after I noticed that as a result of it performed proper into our palms.

“Then, clearly, the purple flag ruined issues.”

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Mercedes’ George Russell felt that he may have gained the race if he didn’t must retire from the Australian Grand Prix following a automobile fireplace.

On Sky Sports activities F1’s dwell broadcast, commentator David Croft defined the pondering of the race director, stating that the part of the observe the particles and gravel had been pushed onto is high-speed, being taken by drivers at 140mph.

The FIA additionally felt extra time within the race would have been misplaced throughout a clean-up course of behind the Security Automotive.

“However you are not (going at 140mph) beneath a Security Automotive, so I do not perceive why there is a purple flag, I’ve to say,” Sky Sports activities F1’s Jenson Button mentioned.

“Since you simply decelerate for the incident, the Security Automotive can decelerate, and so they can sweep the gravel when the automobiles aren’t going previous the incident.

“It is broken so many individuals’s races and it was a method name that quite a bit individuals made that they thought was proper. It is simply unusual, however I do perceive safety-wise as effectively.”

Purple flag 2: Magnussen hits wall and loses tyre

What occurred?

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Kevin Magnussen utterly clips the wall and utterly loses his proper rear tyre which brings out the second purple flag of the race!

With Verstappen cruising in the direction of victory, Kevin Magnussen hit the wall along with his Haas after shedding management on the exit of Flip 2 on the 54th circuit of the 58-lap contest.

As soon as extra, a Security Automotive was initially despatched out, and it was initially unclear whether or not the race would have the ability to resume.

Lewis Hamilton, maybe conscious of the scenario, got here on staff radio to report that there was a major quantity of particles on observe.

With each the particles and the potential for the race ending behind the Security Automotive in thoughts, one other purple flag was thrown, organising a theoretical two-lap dash to the top from a standing begin.

How did it impression the race?

There was one very clear loser on this event, the race chief Verstappen.

He held an eight-second lead over second-placed Hamilton on the time of Magnussen’s crash.

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Ted Kravitz takes a glance again at a chaotic Australian Grand Prix.

Beneath a Security Automotive he would have both completed the race in entrance, or had the chance to manage a rolling restart – on tyres that he was prone to have stored in higher form than the much less speedy automobiles behind him.

The Dutchman had proven vulnerability at every of the earlier standing begins, and due to this fact Hamilton immediately had a practical likelihood of victory, notably given the very fact Purple Bull’s class-leading DRS system would not have been accessible to be used with simply two laps remaining.

Because it was, Verstappen nearly held Hamilton at bay off the road, and the nice rivals acquired away cleanly, with the large losers turning out to be those that made contact behind them, which we’ll come to later.

Was the proper resolution taken?

A number of drivers got here onto staff radio expressing shock on the resolution, with Verstappen, understandably, very vocal.

He mentioned after the race: “I believe it is fairly clear – I simply did not perceive why we would have liked a purple flag.

“I believe when you would have had a Security Automotive and a traditional rolling begin, you would not have had all these shunts after which you might have a traditional end.

“So, they [the race directors] created the issues themselves on the finish of the day.”

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Max Verstappen was happy with the efficiency of his Purple Bull as he cruised to victory round Albert Park Circuit.

From an leisure perspective, there was little question it was a very good resolution.

“I am not going to disagree with this purple flag,” Sky Sports activities F1’s David Croft mentioned. “That is going to offer everyone two laps of cracking motion to resolve the winner of this race.”

Button added: “It is leisure, and we will have a tremendous present for these two laps.”

“The one individual that’s actually feeling the ache proper now could be Max Verstappen.

“I perceive why the drivers have reacted in that (adverse) method although, as a result of we have by no means seen purple flags for this earlier than.”

Regardless of finally benefitting from the purple flag as he completed sixth, Lando Norris defined why he was in opposition to it.

Lando Norris criticised the second purple flag

The McLaren driver mentioned: “I type of hate it. I do not just like the restarts. I suppose, perhaps within the first quarter of the race, I perceive it.

“(In) the second half, and particularly with 4 laps to go, I really feel such as you damage quite a lot of issues. And I do not really feel prefer it’s truthful for lots of people who’ve accomplished a very good job and so they get taken out.

“We come all the way in which to Australia, nevertheless it’s a lot arduous work to drive 56, 55 laps completely. And, as a result of they attempt to placed on a present, you simply get unfortunate, and the whole lot can get taken away from you rapidly. So I simply assume that facet of it, I simply assume it wants a small rethink.”

Purple flag 3: Heavy Alpine collision amongst a number of incidents at restart

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Fernando Alonso is tagged by Carlos Sainz which causes an extended line of accidents on the second race restart and brings out one more purple flag!

With all eyes on Verstappen and Hamilton, the drama got here behind them, as fourth-placed Carlos Sainz made contact with Fernando Alonso in entrance of him, inflicting them each to spin.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly ran huge and off observe, together with Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez, after which because the Frenchman got here again on observe he unwittingly compelled his team-mate Esteban Ocon out of room on the proper of the observe, resulting in contact which despatched them each into the barrier.

Additional again, Williams’ Logan Sargeant bumped into the again of AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries, placing each of them out of the race.

The whole carnage, together with the heavy impression for each Alpines, noticed the purple flag come out once more.

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Karun Chandhok analyses the onboard view as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly collided on the finish of the Australian Grand Prix.

How did it impression the race?

With only one lap remaining, there was no prospect of extra racing, however the FIA took a very long time to resolve what to do with the order earlier than a processional Security Automotive-led remaining lap.

Finally, it was determined that as the primary sector of the lap hadn’t been accomplished earlier than the purple flag got here out, the order from earlier than the restart could be restored for the ultimate lap, minus the retired automobiles.

Alonso and Sainz, who have been capable of keep it up after their contact, have been due to this fact reinstated to 3rd and fourth, however the Ferrari driver was then given a five-second penalty earlier than the ultimate lap for inflicting the collision.

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Carlos Sainz is livid at being handed a five-second time penalty for inflicting a collision with Fernando Alonso.

That noticed him drop to final of the 12 automobiles that completed the race because the drivers behind him stayed throughout the five-second margin by the ultimate nook after the Security Automotive had returned to the pit lane.

Lance Stroll, who had been sixth on the restart earlier than working huge, jumped to fourth, whereas virtually all of those that completed behind him in point-scoring positions additionally benefitted, together with McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri, who claimed his first factors in Components 1 by ending eighth at his house race.

The one driver to considerably undergo from the choice was Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, who had risen to fourth earlier than the purple flag was waved, however was returned to seventh when the order was reset.

Was the proper resolution taken?

There was little dispute over the ultimate purple flag, with the heavy impression the Alpines skilled and the necessity to examine on their security – together with all of the ensuing particles and chaos – a legitimate purpose for the stoppage.

Alonso, who initially thought he had misplaced out on a 3rd podium in as many races this season, berated the second purple flag, that had led to the third and remaining standing begin, over staff radio.

“Silly rule,” the Spaniard fumed. “How the hell you possibly can put a purple flag earlier than?”

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After ending third on the Australian GP, Fernando Alonso admits he was confused as to what precisely was taking place after a purple flag precipitated pandemonium on the finish of the race.

Consideration as a substitute turned to the choice over restoring the pre-restart order, which was solely formally questioned by Haas, who appealed the choice, with staff principal Guenther Steiner apparently aggrieved at Hulkenberg’s demotion.

The consensus was that the proper resolution had been taken, though the FIA had but to substantiate the standing of Haas’ attraction a number of hours after the race’s completion.

Then there was Sainz, who felt his five-second penalty had change into much more harsh than it ought to be, costing him eight locations.

“It’s the greatest shame I’ve seen within the sport for a few years,” Sainz mentioned.

“It’s the most unfair penalty I’ve seen in my life.”

With 4 weeks till the season resumes in Azerbaijan at a Baku avenue circuit prone to create extra Security Automotive – and potential purple flag – incidents, the FIA will undoubtedly come beneath stress from groups to offer readability on their guidelines and procedures.