27/01/2009
NEWS STORY
The FIA has scrapped the controversial rule whereby drivers were penalised for pitting early following the deployment of the safety car, describing it as a "bad" rule.
Announcing the change, F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting said: "The rule introduced in 2007 was bad."
The rule was introduced in order to stop drivers speeding back to the pits to refuel immediately after the deployment of the Safety Car, from this season, drivers will be given a specific time frame in which to return to the pits.
"When we deploy the safety car, the message will go to all the cars, which will then have a 'safety car' mode on their ECUs," said Whiting. "As soon as that message gets to the car, it will know where it is on the circuit, and it will calculate a minimum time for the driver to get back to the pits. The driver will have to respect this and the information will be displayed on his dashboard."
The old rule played a decisive part in a number of races last season. In Australia, Heikki Kovalainen had to pit while the safety car was on track and subsequently dropped to the back of the field. In Spain Nick Heidfeld lost out on a points finish when he was penalised for returning to the pits during the safety car period. In Singapore, Nico Rosberg, who in second place at the time, and Robert Kubica were both handed drive-through penalties for pitting when the pit lane was closed.
However, Fernando Alonso took advantage of the situation to claim the win in Singapore as he had already pitted and was therefore able to move up the field.