Solving Formula 1's donut dilemma

If, as Oscar Wilde famously said, an optimist sees a doughnut and a pessimist sees a hole, then Formula 1 dug itself in to a bit of the latter in India last weekend.

Sebastian Vettel's joyous celebrations on the start-finish straight drew more admiration - and certainly a bigger round of applause in the media centre - than when he crossed the finish line to secure a historic fourth title.

His conscious decision to ignore team instructions (not for the first time, mind you!) and seize the moment with donuts, a kneel in front of his car and a fence climb, rather than proceed directly to parc ferme, was a delight for everyone. Apart from the FIA.

As Vettel himself said: "Rocky, my engineer, called for the usual procedure but I said 'yeah, not this time,' and there's so many people here on the main grandstand that I had to do it."

By the very nature of being in a cockpit with a helmet covering their heads, it is all too difficult to fully appreciate the emotions that drivers feel at times.

We sometimes get snapshots of radio messages, some punching in the air and 'that' index finger, but it is rare for drivers to be allowed to let the moment totally overcome them.

When they do, though, it is fantastic. Think of last weekend; think of Fernando Alonso in Valencia in 2012, and think even of Ayrton Senna at Brazil in 1991.

These are the times when the drivers are overcome by their feelings - and just a simple hand in the air is not enough.

But however much anger it causes among fans that such celebrations automatically trigger a call-up to the race stewards, F1 actually finds itself in quite a difficult situation in balancing out how to deal with the matter.

Article 43.3 of Formula 1's sporting regulations is pretty clear in laying down exactly what is expected of drivers after the race.

Vettel delighted the crowd, but not the FIA © LAT

It states: "After receiving the end-of-race signal all cars must proceed on the circuit directly to the post race parc ferme without any unnecessary delay, without receiving any object whatsoever and without any assistance (except that of the marshals if necessary)."

That means no flags. No donuts. No stopping at the side of the track to pick up some mates, and no running over to grandstands to share the moment with fans.

Some may view that regulation as a bit of a killjoy, as it does outlaw completely what Vettel did in India, but the rule is there for a reason.

Dropping the stipulation may well green-light the celebrations we all love, but it would open up another can of worms in terms of ensuring that teams do not cheat in the races.

Letting drivers freely pick items up, for example, would provide more than ample opportunity for one to nefariously get some extra weight in his car for post-race checks - and therefore run underweight in the race. Or what about being handed a secret ECU chip that changed the computer software for scrutineering?

You also cannot have a situation where drivers are not fussed about returning to the pits, where the track and pits are locked down for 30 minutes after the race while midfielders perform donuts at each corner. Don't fans want to try to get near the podium to watch it all unfold?

There are commercial considerations in the background too, for there is a podium to get through, drivers to be interviewed and reaction to be got. Satellites are waiting and it is television money that funds the teams and pays the drivers who deliver the sport we all love.

There are also safety implications, for you could not have a situation where drivers are spinning their cars in the middle of the circuit willy-nilly as track officials ease down.

This year's Canadian Grand Prix showed the harsh reality that dangers remain even after the chequered flag has fallen.

If donuts are openly allowed too, then they will become just standard fare - and everyone will soon become bored of them. What was so great about Vettel's moment in India was that it was spontaneous, not pre-planned nor sanctioned.

It is also ludicrous to suggest that there is any way in the regulations to formally green- light celebrations.

Donuts are a common thing in NASCAR © LAT

Laying down exactly what can be done - and Bernie Ecclestone would surely love to sell a 'Krispy Kreme Zone' (KKZ) on the start/finish line - would take almost the whole emotion out of the moment anyway.

Being told how to celebrate, when to celebrate and how often you can celebrate is probably worse for fans and drivers than being told you cannot celebrate, but ignoring it.

Yet perhaps there is a halfway house. The parc ferme rules have to remain, no question, and teams should not be given an opportunity to exploit post-race celebrations for illicit performance gains.

But, at the same time, the FIA has found itself trapped in the ludicrous situation of having to hand out punishments for something that many followers of the sport do not think is wrong. It creates a disconnect - and transmits an image of an old boys' institute where fun is bad.

The answer may well be a careful tweak of the rules that lays down some specific circumstances. In MotoGP for example - where Valentino Rossi has had some of the best post-race celebrations of anyone - the rules are explicit.

Article 1.21.17 of its sporting regulations states: "If the winning rider wishes to parade a flag, he must ride to the side of the racing surface to collect the flag and then rejoin the circuit when it is safe to do so."

Why can't F1's rules be tweaked to include a stringent safety clause - or an allowance for exceptional circumstances - yet still ensure that drivers get a shift on to parc ferme?

That way it is made explicit that wild post-race celebrations are not acceptable as standard behaviour, but could be allowed if the moment is right.

It has been claimed that F1's new Strategy Working Group has been formed to move the sport's rules on in a more defined and faster way than in the past. So now it is time to prove its worth.

Its 18 members should prioritise sorting this issue out so F1 stops looking stupid. With the brains in that room, there has to be a solution that's right for the fans, right for the teams and right for the FIA.

When it is done, the donuts are on me.