Formula 1 team principals expressed surprised at the FIA’s decision to actively enforce its ban on team personnel climbing the pit wall fencing while celebrating.
Team members celebrating by hanging on the fencing on the pit wall has been a regular sight in recent years. However since 2006 it has been prohibited under Appendix H, Article 2.3.2 of the FIA’s International Sporting Code which states it is forbidden for “personnel to climb on pit wall debris fences at any time” and that any team found to be doing so will be reported to the stewards.
To date, none of the many instances of teams appearing to celebrate in a manner that contravenes the regulation have been investigated by the stewards.
However ahead of this weekend FIA F1 race director Niels Wittich reminded teams about the prohibition of celebrating on pit wall fencing in his event notes for the Australian Grand Prix, indicating the governing body intends to clampdown on the practise.
Asked about his views on the ban being actively applied, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said that he did not see that it was necessary for the FIA to prevent teams celebrating on the pit wall.
“I was surprised it was an issue, to be honest with you,” Horner said. “But I think anything that relates to safety, obviously one has to take very seriously
“But it’s a fairly iconic moment when you see a grand prix car finishing a grand prix and his team celebrating on a fence. So long as it’s done in a manner that is safe, I personally have never seen an issue with it. I’ve thought it’s been a part of grand prix racing and we’ve achieved that 94 times as Red Bull Racing and not once have we ever had an injury or looked like it being an issue. But if they’re the rules, they’re the rules.”
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McLaren team principal Zak Brown agreed with his Red Bull counterpart that team personnel should be permitted to celebrate on pit walls within reason.
“I’m not exactly sure what sparked the necessity [to apply the rule],” Brown said. “I’m not aware of an incident.
“That being said, safety is critically important to all of us and if they feel it’s potentially not safe and those are the rules, then we’ll all stick to them.”
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack also stressed the importance of respecting rules that are focused on keeping team personnel and drivers safe.
“I think it’s something that we need to respect,” he said….
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