2020 F1 Race Collisions Season Review (Part 2)
2020 F1 Race Collisions Season Review (Part 2)
Race collisions in Formula 1 (F1) invariably lead to hotly contested debates within the fan base and media as to which driver was at fault. Such debates and the perceived injustices over the outcome are exacerbated significantly by the FIA’s apparent inability to deal swiftly and equitably with the collisions. Inevitably, in motorsport, but particularly in F1 when cars are travelling over 200mph, collisions are going to arise with drivers are fighting over the same piece of tarmac. Having said that, F1 is a sport, and all sports have rules for two main purposes: fair competition and safety. All race collisions that occurred in the 2020 F1 season will be reviewed.
Formula 1 2020 Season Race Collisions Review (Part 2)
This review does not include all racing incidents, e.g., drivers forcing one another off the track, jump starts nor drivers driving into barriers through their own mistake, but focuses simply when contact was made between two drivers/cars. There were 24 such collisions, with the first 12 reviewed in Part 1. The final 12 collisions are reviewed here. The views in this article are purely based on video footage from the original tv broadcast and highlights videos from Formula 1 website. Below is a summary of collisions 13 to 24, indicating a worryingly significant level of disagreement with the FIA’s judgements.
What criteria will be used to find the guilty driver?
- Lack, or loss, of control of car (e.g., locking up)
- Had they earned the space around the corner
- Who was entitled to that piece of tarmac (for this, cornering lanes will be used)?
Basically, cornering lanes acknowledge when drivers have earned the right to specific space around the whole corner. Thus, allowing both drivers to pursue a wheel-to-wheel battle. This review is not intended to deter overtaking, on the contrary, some of the best racing is when drivers race through multiple corners side-by-side. The only way this happens though is when drivers give enough room, i.e., play fair, through cornering lanes.
Race 10 – Russian GP (Sochi Autodrom)
Season Collision 13 – Stroll vs Leclerc
On Lap 1, Leclerc was attempting an overtake on Stroll around the outside of the long Turn 4. Both cars were pretty much level entering Turn 5 with Stroll taking a wider apex to allow room for Leclerc. On the exit of the corner, contact was made between the front left tyre of Leclerc and the right rear tyre of Stroll.
Leclerc was at fault. He needed to leave more room on the exit of the corner. Leclerc was not entitled to take the racing line throughout the whole corner. At no point whilst attempting the overtake was he ever in front of Stroll. Furthermore, Leclerc was significantly off the racing line entering the corner.
The FIA stewards decision not to investigate the collision was inexcusable. This was a collision that has caused a driver, through no fault of their own, to retire immediately from the race.
Rule Clarification Needed
The rules state that a car’s width of space should be left when battling for position. Now, does this include the curbs or not? Track limits sometimes include curbs and at other times does not. More confusingly, this varies not only from track to track but from corner to corner on the same track. For example, let’s say the curb is included in track limits and the drivers are still side-by-side when the curb disappears. When should the inside car start to move so that a car’s width of space is available once the curb disappears?
Race 11 – Eifel GP (Nurburging)
There were actually four collisions… Albon was a lucky boy. He locked up significantly on Lap 1 and lightly brushed Ricciardo. There was no damage to either car, nor did any car react to the contact. No action required. The other three are reviewed below.
Season Collision 14 – Raikkonen vs Russell
On Lap 13, Kimi Raikkonen attempted to overtake George Russell at Turn 1. Raikkonen was approaching the corner with slightly more speed due to following Vettel down the straight. Raikkonen locked up entering the corner, running wide into Russell.
Raikkonen was at fault. He carried too much speed into the corner whilst close behind another car (Vettel), thus not having full control of his car. In trying to avoid running wide and making contact with Russell, Raikkonen was aggressive with the amount of right turn he put into the steering. Consequently, this resulted in him losing the rear and having to counter steer left and thus making contact with Russell.
If you think a drive through penalty is overly harsh, let me pose a question for you. A car leading the championship causes a collision with its rival who is second in the championship, causing them to retire. Despite being an honest mistake, a 10 second penalty is not enough. A drive through penalty is about a 20 second loss – this is dependent on the varying tracks. It must also be pointed out that any timed penalty is not the same from one track to another as times between the cars/field are track specific.
Season Collision 15 – Albon vs Kvyat
On Lap 17, Albon was attacking Kvyat on the way down to Turns 14 and 15 (NGK Schikane), forcing Kvyat to defend the inside line. Kvyat then outbroke himself and missed the chicane, going over the grass and re-joining the track still ahead of Albon but going more slowly. Albon capitalised straight away passing Kvyat on the inside when both cars were approaching the final corner. Albon then moved across to the racing line where Kvyat was.
Albon at fault. He simply cut across Kvyat too early. In other words, the rear of his car had not passed the front of Kvyat’s. It is not the first time Albon cut across another driver this season. He did it to Grosjean at Monza and was penalised for forcing another driver off the track.
Season Collision 16 – Vettel vs Magnussen
On Lap 55, Vettel overtook Magnussen into Turn 1. In doing so, Vettel ran a little wide which allowed Magnussen to be side by side with Vettel entering (the long left) Turn 2. The two then raced around the long-left hander side-by-side and on the exit of the corner, when Magnussen had his right-hand side tyres on the curb, contact was made between cars.
Although this collision could be described as a brushing of tyres, I believe Vettel not only caused this collision but also forced another driver off the track. In the sequence of pictures above, it clearly shows that Vettel opened his steering out twice (blue line) throughout the corner. Firstly, this was done in a controlled manner and not a quick, reactive movement when a driver is fighting the rear. Secondly, Vettel was on the more grippier tyres, thus had the grip under him. Thirdly, this corner is not tight, especially at the end. This incident is more about forcing another driver off the track than a collision. Vettel should have given the place back to Magnussen immediately so they could then have another scrap.
RACE 12 – Portuguese GP (Algarve International Circuit)
Season Collision 17 – Verstappen vs Perez
Verstappen lost a place to Bottas on Turn 2 and in doing so ran a little wide off the track. This meant Verstappen entered Turn 3 on a much tighter line than Perez who was trying to overtake Verstappen.
On the one hand, I feel that Perez should have given more room. On the other hand, Verstappen should not follow the line on the exit of the car in front [Hamilton] who is on the racing line. Both drivers knew the other driver was there so both are guilty of not leaving just enough space for each other. Having said that, cornering lanes would help determine who was entitled to that piece of tarmac.
Season Collision 18 – Norris vs Stroll
On lap 18, battling for 7th position, Stroll uses DRS to attack Norris going into Turn 1. Norris defends by placing his car a little off the racing line, forcing Stroll to either go on the inside (middle right of track) making it a very tight angle for the upcoming fast right-hander, or to go over the curb on the outside. Stroll decides to overtake on the left (outside) by placing half of his car on the curbs whilst travelling at top speed and whilst braking. Stroll is slightly ahead of Norris entering the corner and the cars make contact at the apex of the corner.
Both cars picked up wing damage and pitted. They returned to the track in 19th and 20th positions. Subsequently, near the end of the race, Racing Point decided to retire Stroll. The stewards gave Stroll two penalty points for the incident. The collision was entirely Stroll’s fault. Norris was entitled to some space on the inside (the apex) as they were pretty much side-by-side entering the corner. In effect, Stroll just drove/turned into Norris.
Stroll’s response to the incident was, “It was very awkward and so I had to make a split-second decision. I was on the outside over the kerb and from there I kind of just turned in to the corner and I guess there wasn’t enough room for both of us [bold added], so that was that.” No need to guess that an F1 car cannot fit into a twelve inch gap.
RACE 13 – Emilia Romagna GP (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari)
Season Collision 19 – Stroll vs Ocon
On Lap 1, Turn 2, Stroll is behind both Ocon and his teammate Perez, who are both alongside each other entering Turn 1. Turn 2 follows immediately after the Turn 1 and Stroll attempts to slip his car up the inside of Ocon. Ocon turns into Turn 2 and contact is made between the left rear of Ocon’s car and the front wing of Stroll’s.
Lance Stroll damaged his front wing and subsequently pitted on the first lap, going from 15th to 20th. Ocon was lucky and there was no damage to his tyre or car. This was entirely Stroll’s fault as he never had at least half of his car alongside Ocon’s entering Turn 2. Furthermore, Turns 1 and 2 are in effect a chicane and could be treated as one corner. In other words, Ocon cannot be expected to give space to a car that has not earned the space around the first part of the corner. Thus, Ocon could take the inside line on Turn 2.
Now, just because Lady Luck was on Ocon’s side and no damage occurred to his car and the fact that the culprit (Stroll) came worse off, does not negate the fact that Stroll still caused a collision. It should have been investigated and Stroll should have been handed two penalty points for poor driving, i.e., for causing a collision.
Season Collision 20 – Vettel vs Magnussen
On Lap 1, Turn 7, Vettel attempts to go on the inside of Magnussen. There was a small contact between the front right of Vettel’s car and back left of Magnussen car, causing Magnussen to spin.
The collision resulted in Magnussen spinning round. He went from 12th to 19th and was only in front of Stroll whom had to pit due to front wing damage (see previous collision). During the race, the collision – albeit small – was not even investigated! After the race, the stewards apportioned no blame to either driver.
This collision was entirely Vettel’s fault. He in effect, dive-bombed, and drove into Magnussen. The pictures show that Vettel took an extreme inside line that he could not maintain due to the speed he carried into the corner, thus running wide into Magnussen.
RACE 14 – Turkish GP (Istanbul Park)
Season Collision 21 – (Ham) vs Ricciardo vs Ocon
On Lap 1, having started 5th, 6th and 7th respectively; Ricciardo, Hamilton and Ocon found themselves competing for the same bit of tarmac on Turn 1 whilst battling for 3rd position. Ocon, who was on the outside of the three, got ‘tapped’ by Ricciardo which caused Ocon to spin round in the wet conditions.
The collision resulted in Ocon battling for 3rd to re-joining in about 17th position. Once again, there was no notification from the stewards that the collision was investigated. After the race, no driver was given any blame by the race stewards and therefore, quite typically, all F1 fans were left to conclude that it was a racing incident.
Ocon was entirely at fault for the collision. Not only did he cut across one car [his teammate], but actually cut across two cars when attempting to claim the apex. Whilst noting that visibility is hard in F1 cars and sometimes a driver may be excused for not seeing another car on the other side of the car they are racing, in this instance, Ocon would have seen Hamilton and Ricciardo side-by-side before reaching the corner. Ocon needed to leave more space on the inside and take a wider line around Turn 1. In his post-race comments, Ocon said, ‘Basically we were all sandwiched, pretty much. I couldn’t go wide because I was going to go out and they were all stuck on the inside.” Ocon could have gone wide.
RACE 15 – Bahrain GP (Bahrain International Circuit)
Season Collision 22 – Grosjean vs Kvyat
On Lap 1, between Turns 3 and 4, Grosjean attempts to move alongside his teammate Magnussen. In order to do this, Grosjean, who is on the far left-hand side of the track, darts across the track to the right. Grosjean was not entirely ahead of Kvyat who was behind him, resulting in Grosjean’s right rear tyre to make contact with Kvyat’s front left.
Grosjean’s impact with the barrier.
The fact that driver safety is of paramount importance, and the fact that Grosjean moves dangerously across the track [at the beginning of the race], he was entirely at fault for the collision between himself and Kvyat.
Season Collision 23 – Stroll vs Kvyat.
After the restart on Lap 3, Kvyat was close to Stroll exiting Turn 7. Kvyat attempted to overtake Stroll on the inside of Turn 8. Stroll continued his normal racing line and took the apex, where Kvyat was, and contact was made.
Stroll retired immediately as a result of the collision. Kvyat was held responsible for the collision and the stewards gave him a 10-second time penalty as well as two penalty points on his licence.
Kvyat was at fault for the collision. He effectively dive-bombed to try and claim the apex. It must be noted that whilst Kvyat was the main offender, Stroll was not completely innocent in the incident. If a driver is not defending and the field is bunched up, then the driver should not leave the door open and swing it close!
Kvyat rejected the penalties given to him, “I don’t share the stewards’ view on that. I think I had nowhere to go. I already put my whole car on the inside kerb. He [Stroll], on the other hand, he knew I was in there, but he turned in as if I wasn’t there.” The first point Kvyat makes about nowhere to go does not matter as he had not earned the space by being alongside Stroll entering the corner nor in the breaking zone. Second, even if Stroll knew he was there, Stroll, again, does not need to give space as Kvyat had not earned it.
RACE 16 – Sakhir GP (Bahrain International Circuit)
Season collision 24 – Perez vs Leclerc (vs Verstappen)
At the penultimate race of the season, on Lap 1, Turn 4, Leclerc attempts to take the inside line expecting to be given space by Perez who is on the outside (racing line). Leclerc locks up entering the corner and subsequently makes contact with Perez at the apex of the corner.
The collision saw both Leclerc and Verstappen retire from the race immediately. Verstappen doing so by trying to avoid contact with Perez who had left the track after the contact with Leclerc. Once again, this collision was investigated after the race. Not that this is the point, but it was obvious that Leclerc was at fault for the collision.
Rule Clarification needed
Should a driver be punished further for the knock-on effects of their actions (i.e., causing the first collision)? In this incident, in trying to avoid contact with Perez, Max Verstappen ended up colliding with the barrier and retiring. Unsurprisingly, it is unclear how the race stewards come to their decisions. So, despite Leclerc also retiring from the race, is this why he was given a three-place grid drop for the next race?
RACE 17 – Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina Circuit)
No collisions. Well-behaved boys.
So, how did the Formula 1 Race Stewards do in 2020?
Below is the summary table of collisions 1 to 12.
Below is the summary table of collisions 13 to 24.
Overall, I believe, for the reasons articulated in both articles, that the FIA race stewards made wrong decisions in 11 out of 24 incidents, with one considered inconclusive based solely on TV replays. That’s just shy of 50% wrong or flawed! How many times did you disagree with the race stewards?
Now, to reinforce the reasoning above, below is a table showing the appropriate sanction a driver must face when deemed to have caused a collision.
It must be pointed out that causing a collision can be the fault of two (or more) drivers and not necessarily just one driver at fault. Also, causing a collision with a teammate should be dealt in exactly the same way. There are two championships at play during a Formula 1 season.
2020 F1 Collision REPORT CARD
The Stat Squabbler says…
- All contacts must be investigated and must be investigated immediately (unless both cars retire).
- Decision making from the FIA race stewards is poor.
- Some of the best racing is when drivers race through multiple corners side-by-side. The only way this happens is when drivers give enough room, i.e., corning lanes.
Do you agree / disagree with The Stat Squabbler? Comment below.
