Teams to face loose wheel penalties

25/07/2013
NEWS STORY

In the wake of the incident in Germany in which a cameraman was injured by a wheel that became detached from Mark Webber's car, the FIA is to introduce a new penalty.

In future, if a car is sent out with a loose wheel the driver will incur a ten-place grid penalty. The rule will be enforced across all sessions; should the incident happen during practice or qualifying the driver will be hit with the penalty at that same weekend's race. Should the incident occur during a race the penalty will be applied at the next event.

At the same time, the pitlane speed limit has been reduced from 100kmh to 80kmh, a further nod to the Nurburgring incident.

The pitlane has always been one of the most dangerous places to be during a Grand Prix, and while the risk of fire has been eliminated with the banning of fuel stops, the fierce competition to turn a driver around as quickly as possible has seen a rise in the number of incidents.

Many believe that F1 should follow the example set by other disciplines, in that either cars should be held at their slots for a defined amount of time, that there should be less personnel or even that the car should not be released until all the mechanics have returned to their garages.

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Published: 25/07/2013
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