History repeats itself, or almost. As seen in the last bars of the Italian Grand Prix has aroused many discussions and doubts. Doubts about race management by the International Federation that once again it exposes its shortcomings for all to see. Michael Masi laughs in a corner, while one hundred and thirty thousand spectators leave the Monza International Circuit with a bad taste in their mouths.
Plot of a crime
The engine Mercedes of McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo take a last breath before dying between the two of Lesmo. From there, an error of the FIA triggers a domino effect. Lap is number forty-seven, and it's easy to think that removing a stationary car would require less than the six missing laps, but that's not the case. The race directors call the Safety Car, and if you're used to a surgical management of the entry and exit of the safety car, after Monza you'll have to change your mind. The registered car Aston Martin enters the track in front of the wrong driver: Russell, why the Verstappen-Leclerc duo passed just before. a lost train that gives way to a long wait before the tandem of the two rivals is able to resume, chasing the Safety Car which in the meantime was grinding kilometers, the head pack.
The pursuit ofimpregnable Verstappen and of the house idol Charles Leclerc causes crane entry to be delayed used to remove Ricciardo's car. Entry required by the fact that in no way did the Volunteer Marshals manage to put the insane on the papaya machine, in fact excluding the possibility of a removal 'by hand'. From here, the laps have passed and the conclusion of the grand prix behind the service car is inevitable. A mockery for the public at the racetrack and in front of the television.
What changes with the Safety Car in Abu Dhabi?
In both cases, the entry of the Safety Car is and would have been good for the leader's pursuer. However, if in Abu Dhabi Max Verstappen had the chance, succeeding, to overtake the first, in Monza Leclerc's luck did not materialize. The substantial difference lies in the fact that in the Emirates the error lies downstream, with a management of the dubbing that seems to be the daughter of desire to create entertainment; while in Monza the first tile that triggers the domino effect it's upstream, with an error that appears to be a clumsy assessment of the situation. Both serious and inadmissible in a class that bills itself as 'the pinnacle of motorsport'. If Monza had been the decisive round of the world championship, the crime would probably have made no less noise than what happened in Abu Dhabi.
Is there enough time to refine imperfections?
At the end of the Grand Prix there was no shortage of biting words from Ferrari's principal team Mattia Binotto against the Federation, who defended herself with a questionable argument. The FIA did not break the rules, but the execution of the procedures was not worthy of Formula 1. Race directors are 'young', arrived this year to replace Michael Masi, but it is clear that management whims have not been lacking since the beginning of the championship. The tender management organization chart needs time and practice with ambiguous situations, of course, but it is also true that it is at least desirable to expect textbook management of clear situations and objective reading. We are still at the beginning of a cycle, but the men of the Federation must be aware that the margin of error is narrow and will narrow, and episodes like this, where the limit of acceptability is crossed, they will be less and less tolerated.
