FIA explains F1 crane incident during Q2 in Turkey
FIA Formula 1 race director Michael Masi says he will review procedures after a controversial crane incident at the start of Q2 in Turkey.
The drivers were released to start the session while Nicholas Latifi's car was still being recovered after the Canadian spun off towards the end of the first session.
After Q1 ended, a recovery vehicle was sent to crane the Williams out of the way.
The normal procedure is for officials on the spot to keep the Clerk of the Course in race control informed of progress and then he communicates with Masi.
The message came through that the job would be complete by the time the cars passed by on their out lap at the start of Q2, and thus they were duly released on schedule. However, moving the crane behind the barrier took longer than expected, and with it still in the run-off area, drivers were surprised to find yellow flags waving.
Although it was an out lap, they were trying to get up to speed in order to keep temperature in their wet tyres.
"We released the cars from pitlane as the recovery vehicle was moving to the escape road," said Masi. "Following information given to Race Control by the Clerk of the Course that the vehicle would be clear of the track before the cars on their out laps reached Turn 8 where the recovery was taking place.
"As soon as it became apparent that the recovery vehicle had been delayed in moving completely into the barrier opening, we extended the area of double-waved yellow flags from Turn 8 to the entry point of Turn 7 to further slow down the cars on their out laps.
"Clearly this is not a scenario we want to see, and with the benefit of hindsight we would have done it differently and held the cars until the recovery was completed.
"We will review our procedures to minimise the likelihood of similar incidents in future."
Related video
Previous article
Stroll pole not down to luck, says Racing Point
Next article
Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix – How to watch, start time & more
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Turkish GP |
| Author | Adam Cooper |
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror
