Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

FIA explains 'zero tolerance' approach to Copse

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The FIA has explained it will take a "zero tolerance" approach to drivers leaving the track at Copse during the British Grand Prix.

A number of drivers had times deleted during qualifying at Silverstone, with the majority of the punishments coming after they ran wide at Copse; the high speed right hand corner which used to open the lap on the old layout. Daniel Ricciardo was one driver who was left frustrated after being demoted from seventh to tenth on the grid as a result of the indiscretion.

In a note to the teams from FIA race director Charlie Whiting, the drivers have been warned how the track limits will be strictly enforced on Sunday.

"During the race, any driver who appears to have gained a clear and lasting advantage by leaving the track at Turn 9 (Copse), or who repeatedly leaves the track at this corner, will be reported to the stewards," Whiting wrote.

The FIA has also been keeping an eye on drivers leaving the track at the final corner, with Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz seeing times deleted for leaving the track with all four wheels at the end of the lap.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.