MCLAREN: “START CANCELLATION RULES ARE CONFUSING”

McLaren thinks that after the confusion caused by Lando Norris’s rule violation in the Brazilian Grand Prix, the start cancellation rules of Formula 1 can be regulated
With Lance Stroll stuck in gravel in the 4th corner during the formation lap, the F1 race director decided to cancel the start when the cars were listed on the grid.
Theoretically, this meant that the start was canceled and the pilots had to wait on the grid for the restart.
However, Norris in the pole position and George Russell, who started from the first line, perceived it as a sign to complete another round of formation, followed by several vehicles behind them.
Other pilots were aware that they should not take action, but they were also immediately allowed due to the problems that some vehicles could cause extra laps.
After the race, Norris and Russell were both reprimanded and fined 5000 euros each for not following the procedures.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said she thinks there are some uncertainties in the language of the rules due to the way things develop in Brazil. He stated that the fact that the start cancellation decision was given after the vehicles were lined up on the grid caused confusion.
“When you look at the language of the rules, it’s a bit difficult to understand, because in the extra formation round, there’s talk of a delayed start, and there’s a start cancellation, and that rule talks about going back to the grid.”

“So there are some technical details that may have made the situation a little confusing for Lando. I think he only reacted to the lights at that moment.”

The rules that Stella mentioned indicate that the start can be canceled in two different ways.
Article 46.1 refers to the “delayed start”, which happens when the formation round does not start and the vehicles are still on the grid.
“Canceled start” takes place when the formation round starts. It is stated here that “all vehicles must return to the grid and all competitors will be informed of possible delays using the official messaging system”.
In Brazil, most of Norris and other vehicles were already on the grid when the start cancellation message came.
Stella thinks it may make sense to clarify procedures to ensure that everyone better understands what to do in future recurring scenarios.
Stella said, “In general, we think this is a very mild situation.”
“This incident should offer an opportunity to clarify a little more what needs to be done in such situations because the call came too late and Lando waited in the pole position for a long time. The conditions were suitable for a cancelled start for a long time, and this confused the pilot,” he added.