Why did it take so long in Qatar to clear the debris at the exit of the pit lane? The FIA explains that normally, the Safety Car is not deployed when debris ends up off the racing line. ‘The large pieces of debris that subsequently emerged forced a different decision,’ says the governing body.
Alexander Albon lost his mirror in lap 29 of the race in Qatar, triggering a chain reaction. The part ended up near the exit of the pit lane on the asphalt, but not on the racing line. Yet, Valtteri Bottas drove over the mirror, causing even more debris on the Losail International Circuit. Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton were unable to avoid the pieces and both suffered a punctured tire.
Normally No Safety Car
The chaos resulting from the detached mirror could have been prevented if the race direction had removed the debris earlier. However, the leadership decided not to do so. “The normal course of action is that the Safety Car is not deployed when there is a small amount of debris off the racing line,” according to the official statement from the FIA about the mirror.”Only when Bottas accidentally caused more debris did the race management decide to intervene. “The large pieces of debris after a car hit the mirror and the punctured tires that occurred shortly thereafter forced the decision to deploy a Safety Car,” the governing body continues. The FIA is conducting further investigation into the incident and may adjust the procedure for future races.
Oscar Piastri was certainly one of the drivers who thought the situation was mishandled. “I think a Virtual Safety Car or a Safety Car would have been the right thing to do almost immediately,” he said in the FIA press conference. “It wouldn’t have been very smart to leave it there for thirty laps.”
