01/06/2022
NEWS STORY
Driver turned TV pundit, Martin Brundle has hit out at officials following the confusion surrounding the start of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
In the moments before the scheduled start, race control announced that the start procedure had been suspended, subsequently announcing that the race would get underway behind the safety car.
Following another delay the race did eventually get underway only to be red-flagged after just two laps.
Normally, Brundle would have been able to inform the millions of viewers looking in as to what was happening, but it soon became clear that he was as in the dark as the rest of us.
While the original start was thought to have been suspended due to light rain that was falling, it was subsequently claimed that race control was aware of a far heavier belt of rain moving towards the Principality.
Eventually, almost an hour after the original scheduled start time the safety car led the field out on track again and the race eventually got underway.
After the race, it was claimed that the delay was due to a power outage caused by the downpour, which had led to communications issues and a problem with the starting systems which ruled out any hope of a standing start in favour of rolling starts.
"Holding up a race in anticipation of incoming weather is not necessary," write Brundle in his column for Sky Sports. "We have virtual and real safety cars, red flags, pit stop crews who can change tyres in two seconds, and two types of wet weather tyres to cover those challenges.
"That's what Formula One racing is all about," he adds.
"We were informed by the FIA at 20.03 after the race on Sunday that there were power issues on the starting gantry due to the heavy rain which explains the rolling starts after the red flags. If we had been told this in the media via our simple and effective WhatsApp group, we could have then informed the tens of millions of viewers around the globe and the tens of thousands of fans trackside, and it would all have made a lot more sense.
A couple of reliable sources tell me that there were heated arguments in race control during the impasse as we all looked on unsure of what was happening," he reveals "This presumably explains the periods of inaction and lack of information, and the reason why the safety car was not out exploring track conditions as usual.
"The FIA, for the well-being of F1, urgently needs a root and branch change with a fully dedicated and empowered race director with at least one understudy, a dedicated circuit and systems inspector, plus an empowered and effective communications department. I consider this a highest priority issue."
Sadly, since the recruitment of Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas as race directors in place of Michael Masi, a number of questionable decisions have been made, with many concerned at the pair's preoccupation with the rules surrounding jewellery and sanctioned underwear as opposed to what is happening on track.
At the same time, those of a more sceptical nature are wondering if Sunday's debacle was to put Monaco in a bad light at a time there is already a question mark over its future as part of the Formula One World Championship.
Of course, once the ‘highlights' get the Netflix treatment the focus will be on Charles' despair, Sergio's joy, Jos' frustration, Guanyu's pants and Lando's tonsils, with the shambolic circumstances that almost ruined the weekend airbrushed from the record.