Drivers will not be permitted to pass in the pit exit during qualifying for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following an update to the race director’s notes.
F1 race director Niels Wittich has issued an update to his notes ahead of Free Practice 3 beginning in Yas Marina.
Item 14 of Wittich’s notes specifically covers Qualifying and has been updated to include the line “Additionally, overtaking is prohibited in the pit exit road unless a car slows with an obvious problem.”
In Free Practice 2 on Friday evening, Max Verstappen overtook both Mercedes drivers and an Alpine as they exited the lane.
While the Alpine was less of a concern, the Dutchman’s moves on George Russell and Lewis Hamilton came as the pit exit dipped under the track at Turn 1.
The Red Bull driver came close to contact with both and, post-session, complained of being squeezed into the tunnel wall.
Yas Marina features a unique pit exit, with the lane ducking under the circuit to feed drivers out on the left-hand side of the track at Turn 2, despite the pit lane being on drivers’ right.
Pit exit has been a hot topic this year, with Verstappen facing the stewards for stopping in the lane in Singapore.
There were further issues in Mexico City, where stewards called for a rethink of the regulations noting, in qualifying, the contradictory requirements drivers faced.
Once on track, drivers must adhere to a minimum lap time, which does not afford them an opportunity to build an appropriate gap to the car ahead.
As a result, the practice moved to the lane, which resulted in the traffic jam witnessed in Mexico.
Changes were made for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, though even there Verstappen dipped two wheels onto the grass to pass slower cars on the long, narrow exit which feeds drivers out on the back straight.
With the Yas Marina pit exit especially awkward should there be an incident within it, Wittich’s move is a prudent one ahead of the final qualifying session of the year.
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