FIA ``identifies procedural problems'' in the case of the course intrusion of the collected vehicle at the F1 Japan GP[F1-Gate.com]

The FIA (International Automobile Federation) has announced that “procedural issues have been identified” regarding the failure to deploy recalled vehicles at the 2022 F1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit.

Immediately after the start, Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) crashed in wet conditions. Sainz Jr.’s car was damaged and stopped on the racing line, so the safety car was brought in to retrieve it.

Suzuka marshals sent a tractor recovery vehicle onto the track when the car passed the danger zone behind the safety car in near-zero visibility conditions, after which the red flag was shown.

However, the timing of the tractor encroachment and the risk it represented was heavily criticized by F1 drivers. In particular, Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), who was behind the group after making a pit stop to change the front wing, arrived at the scene when he caught up with the field and expressed surprise at the presence of the recovery vehicle.

The FIA has since ordered an investigation into the incident and concluded a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in London on Wednesday that “procedural issues have been identified and will be rectified in the short and medium term”. clarified.

The World Motor Sport Council added that the findings of the investigation “will be published shortly”.

Several other safety decisions related to F1’s current and future regulations were also made at the meeting.

“The 2023 F1 technical regulations include increasing the size of the mirrors to improve the visibility of ‘blind spots’ and improve circuit definition.”

“The roll hoop regulations, which have been strengthened following the FIA investigation into Guanyu Zhou’s accident at the British Grand Prix, will be further improved.”

“The 2022 F1 Laws will clarify the procedure for determining grid positions after multiple penalties have been applied.”

However, the World Motorsport Council has not released any new information on the controversial issue linked to Red Bull and Aston Martin’s breach of F1’s financial regulations announced on October 10.

“The World Motor Sport Council has been updated regarding ongoing discussions with teams following the conclusion of its first-ever review under F1’s financial rules,” the FIA said in a statement.