Fisichella's win - have your say.
After some head scratching at FIA headquarters it's been decided that it was Giancarlo Fisichella after all who won the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The difficulties arose apparently due to difficulties encountered at the track applying the regulations that state when a Grand Prix is stopped when over 75% of race distance has been completed, the race will not be restarted. The winner is then declared using the positions two laps prior to the red flag being shown.
After some head scratching at FIA headquarters it's been decided that it was Giancarlo Fisichella after all who won the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The difficulties arose apparently due to difficulties encountered at the track applying the regulations that state when a Grand Prix is stopped when over 75% of race distance has been completed, the race will not be restarted. The winner is then declared using the positions two laps prior to the red flag being shown.
What happened in Brazil is that the officials didn't realise that Giancarlo Fisichella had started his 56th lap so went back to the 53rd lap to get the finishing positions. Kimi Raikkonen has been leading at that point. However, when the red flag was shown Fisichella had crossed the start/finish line for the 56th lap so race position should have been counted two laps back from there - the 54th lap, when Fisichella was leading.
So why doesn't the finishing position be determined from when the red flag comes out? Well, a race is stopped only because it is too dangerous on track to continue. At the point when the red flag comes out cars will be spread out all around the circuit and it would be impossible to determine who is exactly where. Also, if the red flag was brought out because of an accident between the leading cars how would you determine a winner then?
The rules don't make for the easiest race to follow though. Is there anything that can be learnt from Brazil? It surely isn't an ideal scenario for one person (Fisichella) to think he's the winner, then another (Raikkonen) be declared the winner at the track and then days later the FIA decide that it was actually Fisichella who took the win?
Does the situation mean that the whole status and procedures of race officials should be reviewed? The FIA was quick enough to make a decision, so the facts were pretty clear cut. Put simply somebody made a mistake and the result of that was Giancarlo Fisichella was not able to celebrate his first Formula One victory at the circuit in appropriate style.
What do you think? Does anything need to be done? If the rules are so complicated that teams, officials and the FIA have difficulties working out who's won a race does something need to be done? Let us know what you think...
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