F1 chiefs defend Monaco Grand Prix start decision after driver criticism

There was over an hour’s delay to the start of the Monaco GP

Rain caused delays in Monaco (AFP via Getty Images)

Formula 1 governing body the FIA have been forced to defend their decisions at the Monaco Grand Prix after criticism from drivers.

The race was delayed for over an hour due to weather conditions and then was red flagged after Mick Schumacher crashed. It meant only 64 of the 77 laps were raced and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton criticised race director Eduardo Freitas’ decision to delay when it was only “drizzling”.

“We are Formula One drivers, so that is definitely not a good reason,” Hamilton said. “I was like ‘let’s go’ when it was just drizzling a little bit at the beginning. We will talk about it in the drivers’ briefing but we should have started the race.”

The FIA said the decision was taken as the practice and qualifying sessions were dry and that they also had issues with power outages after the downpour.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said even the broadcasters had trouble: “The rain at the beginning was torrential,” he said. “Then there was an issue with the connectivity for the TV broadcast which meant we couldn’t get going.”

There was more controversy at the race as Ferrari protested a pit exit by defending champion Max Verstappen. The team believe it was a breach but the FIA ruled in Verstappen’s favour, much to the disgruntlement of Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.

“As Ferrari we are disappointed because we believe that there was a clear breach of the regulations by the two Red Bulls going on the yellow line exiting the pits,” he said.

“I think it was not close, it was on the line. If you look at the regulations and the sporting code, the wording says crossing, but then we had a clarification in Turkey 2020 to avoid any discussions and you look at the race director’s notes it indicates staying to the right.

“Being on the line is breaching the race director’s notes and I think it is the duty of the cars to follow the race director’s notes. So I think that is something that is clear and we are still seeking clarification from the FIA, and we are happy to have their feedback as soon as possible.”