Overtaking rules

[Woody]

I know this might be a silly question but are there any official rules on how drivers should conduct an overtaking move?

[kilcoo316]

Kind of, there are rules on how a driver may defend his position:

- one blocking move allowed on the straight
- if the car attempting the overtake is more than half way alongside, you are obliged to give them room.

[Woody]

Surely there must be more to it than that. Is there anything in the 'rule book'?

[kilcoo316]

Surely there must be more to it than that. Is there anything in the 'rule book'?

Might well be, but I wouldn't see any reason for there to be.

[Ciro Pabón]

Surely there must be more to it than that. Is there anything in the 'rule book'?

Might well be, but I wouldn't see any reason for there to be.

I guess your short version is ok. But I think you are interpreting the rules in a (how could I put it without any offences?) wild manner. I am happy to confess that thanks to your posts, Woody and kilcoo316, I read the whole nine yards of rule appendixes for the first time in my life... I promess I will never do it again...

What I read is that you cannot obstruct anybody, but in a straight you can say that you were "in a straight line", even if this line takes you from one side of the road to the other. Then there is the "more than one change of direction" in the rules. I guess this is what you mean by "one cut".

These rules cannot (I guess) be read by a rookie alone (specially me... we latins are a little permisive with everything, look at JPM).

Anyway, Woody, you can check Appendix H (starts) and L (driving conduct) to the Sporting Regulations, starting at our own forum here (click on the link at the top of the F1Technical page and navigate the FIA site):

http://www.f1technical.net/articles/20

For those of you, lazy boys that never click any link I give, I think this could be interesting (sorry for the lengt of this post, not like all my other commentaries, which normally are a model of brevity )

CHAPTER IV - CODE OF DRIVING CONDUCT ON CIRCUITS

1 . Observance of signals

The instructions detailed in articles 4, 5 and 6 of Appendix H to the International Sporting Code are deemed to be part of this code of driving conduct. All drivers must be thoroughly acquainted with them.

2. Overtaking

a) during a race, a car alone on the track may use the full width of the said track. However, as soon as it is caught up on a straight by a car which is either temporarily or constantly faster, the driver shall give the other vehicle the right of way by pulling over to one side in order to allow for passing on the other side.

NOTE: Yeah, that is exactly what Schumi did last race... keep reading if you are confused like myself.

b) if the driver who has been caught does not seem to make full use of his rear-view mirror the flag marshal(s) will give a warning by waving the blue flag to indicate that another competitor wants to overtake.

Any driver who does not take notice of the blue flag may be penalised by the Sporting Stewards.

Systematic or repeated offences may result in the exclusion of the offender from the race.

c) curves, as well as the approach and exit zones thereof, may be negotiated by the drivers in any way they wish, within the limits of the track. Overtaking, according to the circumstances, may be done either on the right or on the left.

However, maneuvers liable to hinder other drivers such as premature changes of direction, more than one change of direction, deliberate crowding of cars towards the inside or the outside of the curve or any other abnormal change of direction, are strictly prohibited and shall be penalized, according to the importance and repetition of the offences, by penalties ranging from a fine to the exclusion from the race. The repetition of dangerous driving, even involuntary, may result in the exclusion from the race.

d) any obstructive maneuver carried out by one or several drivers, either having common interests or not, is prohibited. The persistent driving abreast of several vehicles, as well as fan shaped arrangement, is authorized only if there is not another car trying to overtake. Otherwise the blue flag will be waved.

e) the penalty inflicted for ignoring the blue flag will also be applied to the drivers who obstruct part of the track and shall be more severe in the case of systematic obstruction, thus ranging from a fine to the exclusion from the race. The same penalty shall be applied to drivers who swing from one side of the track to the other in order to prevent other competitors from overtaking.

f) the repetition of serious mistakes or the appearance of a lack of control over the car (such as leaving the track) may entail the exclusion of the drivers concerned.

g) the race track alone shall be used by the drivers during the race.

There is another page in this chapter, but it is about stopping during the race.

[vyselegend]

Yes, I don't know about the rule book, but if you look at how it worked up to know, it seems like the FIA don't definite clearly what is forbidden and what is not so they reserve themselves the right to decide afterward weather you're guilty or not of dangerous or obstructive drive, etc...

[Ciro Pabón]

Yes, I don't know about the rule book, but if you look at how it worked up to know, it seems like the FIA don't definite clearly what is forbidden and what is not so they reserve themselves the right to decide afterward weather you're guilty or not of dangerous or obstructive drive, etc...

Yes, and very "precisely" defined in the International Sporting Regulations, which themselves are sort of an appendix to the 2006 Sporting Regulations. Better yet: http://www.fia.com/sport/Regulations/f1regs.html.

As the "old and well known adage" goes: if you can't convince them, confuse them.

This is the fun part of being a steward: you can always chat with Scott Speed after the race, just a little "chortling"...

[Woody]

Thanks for your help, that really cleared things up, I think

[DaveKillens]

This is about racing, competition. I guess some racing rules always will be vague, especially in how drivers conduct themselves under certain circumstances. I guess it's more about safety and putting others in jeapordy, or causing a crash. But passing in itself is risky, it takes nerve, trickery, and the the willingness to try something weird and crazy at times.

[Woody]

How does racing etiquette come into play. What I mean by this is, is there anything speciffic (and written) that defines what is an acceptable passing manouver and what is not. For example, amount of overlap that there must be in order to commit to the move, or who should give way etc...

[johny]

it's a sport you can't have a rule for every infraction. Like in football, basketball ..... there's a referee in motorsport we have marshals so they decide what's legal and what isn't

[Tom]

Sorry to knitpick but its really the Stewards who descide.

Martials are volenteers and aren't really trained for thinking for themselves. This is not meant to be an insult to them its just that the training sessions will consist of what you do if this happens. Its been that way since a marshal and driver were killed in Kylami when a young guy ran across the track with an extinguisher.

The reason I brung this up was I wanted to know are the stewards the same at each race?

[johny]

sorry i said marshall in stead of stewards