Race Directors Event Notes
Qatar Grand Prix · 2024 · 28 November 2024 · Doc 3
2024 QATAR GRAND PRIX
29 November - 01 December
From The FIA Formula One Race Director Document 3
To All Teams, All Officials Date 28 November 2024
Time 22:19
Title Race Director's Event Notes
Description Race Director's Event Notes
Enclosed 2024 Qatar Grand Prix - Race Director's Event Notes.pdf
Rui Marques
The FIA Formula One Race Director
2024 Q G P ATAR RAND RIX
29 November – 01 December 2024
From The FIA Formula One Race Director
To All Officials, All Teams Date 28 November 2024
EVENT NOTES General Instructions
- Observing yellow flags
1.1 Single waved: Drivers reduce their speed and be prepared to change direction. It must be clear that a driver has reduced speed and, in order for this to be clear, a driver would be expected to have braked earlier and/or discernibly reduced speed in the relevant marshalling sector.
1.2 Double waved: Any driver passing through a double waved yellow marshalling sector must reduce speed significantly and be prepared to change direction or stop. In order for the stewards to be satisfied that any such driver has complied with these requirements it must be clear that he has not attempted to set a meaningful lap time. Furthermore, during qualifying, any driver in a double yellow sector will have that lap time cancelled.
1.3 Double Waved during VSC or SC: Any driver passing through a double waved yellow marshalling sector during a VSC or SC, in addition to the requirements in 1.2 above, must remain positive of the SECU delta time in the sector concerned.
- Laps during Sprint Qualifying, Qualifying and Reconnaissance Lap(s) for the Sprint or Race
In order to ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on in laps during and after the end of sprint qualifying or qualifying or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the sprint or race, drivers must stay below the maximum time set by the FIA between the Safety Car lines shown on the pit lane map.
Teams and Drivers will be informed of the maximum time after the first practice session.
For the safe and orderly conduct of the Event, other than in exceptional circumstances accepted as such by the Stewards, any driver that exceeds the maximum time from the Second Safety Car Line to the First Safety Car Line on ANY lap during and after the end of the sprint qualifying or qualifying session, including in-laps and out-laps or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the sprint and the race, may be deemed to be going unnecessarily slowly. For the avoidance of doubt, this does not supersede Article 33.4 and Article 37.5 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, which apply to the entire Circuit, furthermore this includes the pit lane as well. Incidents will normally be investigated after the sprint qualifying, qualifying session, sprint or the race.
- Parc Fermé
The Parc Fermé cameras must be always uncovered and operational during the Event.
- Lapping during the Sprint and the Race
The ISC requires drivers who are caught by another car to allow the faster driver past at the first available opportunity.
The F1 marshaling system will be set to give a pre-warning when the faster car is within 3.0s of the
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car about to be lapped, this should be used by the team of the slower car to warn their driver he is soon going to be lapped and that allowing the faster car through should be considered a priority. When the faster car is within 1.2s of the car about to be lapped blue panels will be shown to the slower car (in addition blue cockpit lights and a message on the timing monitors) and the driver must allow the following driver to overtake at the first available opportunity.
- Article 55.15
“In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking nor any manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart”.
- Article 40.8
In accordance with the provisions of Article 40.8, upon request by the Technical Delegate, the Teams are required to connect the umbilical to the cars and close the HV contactors (TR 5.26.5) for the sole purpose of checking the car ERS safety status, every morning immediately after the covers are removed and the cars are under parc fermé conditions.
Event Specific Instructions
- FIA Outside Scales Times
Should the outside scales be set-up at the pit-lane entrance, these will be available for teams to use at any time outside the curfew times and the Parc Fermé cover-up times, except for the 30 minutes preceding the start of the Sprint Qualifying session or Qualifying session and if there are support competitions using the pit lane.
- Specific Technical Procedures
Please note that the FIA have introduced an Appendix Index File which contains all the relevant and active Appendix documents, Technical and Sporting Directives. The latest version of this Index file (“2024 Formula 1 Appendix – iss 4 – 2024-11-25.xlsx”) and all relevant documents can be found on the FIA SFTP site.
Competitors are hereby required to ensure compliance with these directives for the safe and orderly conduct of the Event.
- Support Races team barrier placement and Movements
Team barrier placement prior to and during all support category practice sessions and races: No more than (3) three meters from the garages. It is not permitted to push cars to the weighing area at any time a support category is in the pit lane. Support Crews and Trolleys will be released into Pit Lane no earlier than 20 minutes prior to the opening of Pit Exit for their respective sessions. Support Category competition vehicles will be released from the support paddock area no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the opening of Pit Exit for their respective sessions. 10) Practice starts
10.1 During the Free Practice session and the reconnaissance lap(s) for the sprint and the race, practice starts may be only carried out on the RHS at the pit exit.
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10.2 If any free practice is resumed with less than 2 minutes remaining, for the purpose of facilitating practice starts on the grid as provided for in Article 38.3 of the Sporting Regulations, any car wishing to leave the pit lane must do so without undue delay and without leaving a significant gap to the car ahead.
- Article 34.8 SR
(…) Any car(s) driven to the end of the pit lane prior to the start or re-start of a free practice session, qualifying session or sprint qualifying session must form up in a line in the fast lane and leave in the order they got there (…)
It is noted that a car will be considered to be “in the fast lane” when a tyre has crossed the solid white line separating the fast lane from the inner lane, in this context crossing means that all of a tyre should be beyond the far side, with respect to the garages, of the line separating the fast lane from the inner lane.
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For the avoidance of doubt, ISC Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 5b) states that:
Once a car has left its garage or pit stop position it should blend into the fast lane as soon as it is safe to do so, and without unnecessarily impeding cars which are already in the fast lane.
Thus, after the start or re-start of a free practice session, qualifying session, or sprint qualifying session, if there is a suitable gap in a queue of cars in the fast lane, such that a driver can blend into the fast lane safely and without unnecessarily impeding cars already in the fast lane, they are free to do so.
Furthermore, it is noted that during a free practice session, sprint qualifying session or qualifying
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session a car driving in the inner lane, parallel to the fast lane, will not be considered to have blended into the fast lane at the earliest opportunity.
Additionally, ISC Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 5d) states that:
Cars in either the fast lane or working lane may not overtake other cars in the fast lane except in exceptional circumstances.
In this context a “stopped car” is one which has an obvious mechanical problem.
- Lines at the Pit Entry and Pit Exit
12.1 In accordance with Chapter 4, Article 4 and 6 of Appendix L to the ISC drivers must follow the procedures at pit entry and pit exit.
12.2 At pit entry drivers must keep to the right of the bollard at the pit entry when they are entering the pits.
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12.3 Pertaining to Chapter 4, Article 4 of Appendix L to the ISC any driver passing to the right hand side of the bollard at pit entry will be considered as entering the pit lane.
- Post-Qualifying drivers weighing
Any driver who finished participating in the sprint qualifying sessions or qualifying sessions after SQ1, SQ2, Q1 and Q2 must proceed through the pit lane directly to the FIA scales immediately after they have returned to their team’s garage. The drivers may not drink anything or do anything which increases their weight before it is recorded by the FIA. Any driver, who stops on the track during the sprint qualifying sessions or qualifying sessions and is not required to visit the Medical Centre, must proceed to the FIA scales to get his weight recorded before returning to his team. Drivers who finish within the top 10 must proceed to the FIA scales immediately when out of their cars without contact with any other person.
- Post-Sprint Parc Fermé
For the safe and orderly conduct of the Event, all Teams are requested to ensure they have three
(3) mechanics per car available within the Parc Fermé area, or at the gate to the grid in the case of a car finishing in the top three, directly after the Sprint. As soon as a car is weighed and/or checked, it will be released to the Team mechanics, it must be immediately put on the trolley boards and returned to the Team garage. The car must stay on the trolley boards inside the garage with the wheels fitted until it is notified via the official messaging system that all cars have been weighed and/or checked and Parc Fermé Conditions are lifted. Work on all cars may only be started following such notification via the official messaging system.
- DRS during the Free Practice Session, the Sprint and the Race
DRS Detection will be automatically disabled in each individual zone if any of the light panels in that
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zone are displaying yellow. The zones and corresponding light panels are as follows:
a) DRS Activation 1: Panels 20, 1, 2, 3.
- DRS during all Sprint Qualifying and Qualifying Sessions
DRS Detection will be automatically disabled in each individual zone if any of the light panels in that zone are displaying yellow. The zones and corresponding light panels are as follows:
a) DRS Activation 1: Panels 20, 1
- Track Limits
In accordance with the provisions of Article 33.3, the white lines define the track edges. During Sprint
Qualifying, Qualifying, Sprint and the Race, each time a driver fails to negotiate with the track limits,
this will result in that lap time being invalidated by the Stewards. Additionally, each time a driver fails
to negotiate with the exit of turn 16, it will result in that lap time and the immediately following lap
time being invalidated by the Stewards.
- Unsafe or Unknown ERS Status
If the status of the ERS changes to unsafe or unknown, the relevant team will be required to send mechanics near the garage 50 after the session. They will then be picked up by a race control car to bring them to their car.
- Entering Fast Lane during all Practice Sessions
If the Free Practice Session or Sprint Qualifying session or Qualifying Session is suspended, cars may only enter the Fast Lane after the re-start time is confirmed via the official messaging system.
- Fire extinguishers around the circuit
Indicated by white boards with a sign of a fire extinguisher attached to the debris fences.
- Places to remove cars from the track
Indicated by 2 meters fluorescent orange panels/paintings on the barriers.
Removing cars from the grid Cars may be removed from the grid through the gates adjacent to grid position 5 and grid position 12.
Sprint or Race Suspension
In case of a sprint or race suspension, (except in case of art 57.2 – stopping on the grid), cars will be stopped in the fast lane of the pits near garage 42.
- Car number light panels for the start.
On the right-hand side of the grid.
- Changes to the Circuit • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 1. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 2. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 3. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 4. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 5. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 12. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 13. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 14. • 2.0 m wide gravel strip installed behind kerb at exit Turn 15. • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 1.
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• Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 2. • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 3. • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 4. • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 5 • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 10. • Kerb height reduced at entry and exit Turn 12. • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 13. • Kerb height reduced at exit Turn 14. • White line moved to a distance of 1.5 m to the gravel at exit Turns 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15 and entry Turn 12 • White line moved to a distance of 1.5 m to the back edge of the kerb at the exit of Turn 10.
Rui Marques
The FIA Formula One Race Director
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