The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from

A common theme arising from Formula 1's current knockout qualifying format is the teams waiting until the last few minutes before sending their cars out. This can be a recipe for bedlam in the pitlane, as we saw last weekend at Monza, where a potentially serious incident was only narrowly averted.

Releasing cars and hoping that others will give way is a risky business, not only as damage can occur, but because mechanics are at risk of being injured. With such a limited field of vision sat low in the cockpit, drivers have total trust that car controllers waving them out of the garage have a better view of what is happening around them. When they are told to go, they go.

When Sebastian Vettel was waved out by Aston Martin nearing the end of Q2 in Monza, he almost hit Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, then found one of the Alpine mechanics directly in his path, the individual fortunately jumping out of the way at the last second. As Red Bull's Christian Horner put it, the pitlane was “a little bit nuts”.

The Aston Martin and Alpine teams were both fined €5000, but were any proper lessons learned? Families watching at home have enough stress with their loved ones being away so much; they don’t need to see them being in danger of injury as well.

It followed the unusual situation at Zandvoort where cars were lining up at the exit of the pits to create a gap before joining the narrow and tricky to pass-on circuit - an overwhelmingly negative and uncomfortable vision of F1. This situation led to Sergio Perez not getting to the line in time to start his final Q1 lap and subsequently being eliminated from qualifying, although this is also down to the team not releasing him in good time.

A lot of the problems with the cars stacking up in the pitlane or on-track is that they need to bring the tyres up to temperatures gently to extract the optimum performance. Everybody wants to use the track in its optimum condition to get the most out of their rubber - but I don't see why teams can't be more flexible on weighing up the potential advantages of sending their cars out to qualify on a clear track, when the alternative is being potentially scuppered by heavy traffic.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521, and others in the pit lane

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

At Monza, of course, the rules of the game are slightly different due to the value of the tow which makes track position even more important. Not everybody was able to improve their times on their final runs however, precisely due to the overcrowding on track that compromised tyre preparation laps.

F1 is set for significant changes next year that are targeted at helping the new generation of cars to follow each other significantly better. But will this make any difference to the annual Monza pitlane rush, and should it consider an alternative qualifying format?

Fernando Alonso suggested that a one-shot qualifying format would improve the spectacle of future F1 sprint races, but sending each driver out one at a time - getting three laps to set a time, and a set time for the out and in laps - would also have tangible safety benefits.

Something has to change and soon, especially in the marshalling of the pitlane, before there are serious accidents. It’s down to the governing body to act

“It's very difficult unless you send them out one by one for individual qualifying, and it's all part of it trying to get that bit of track position,” said Horner.

“But it does need to be safe. And, of course, the pitlane is getting a little bit nuts as well. Thankfully there were no incidents today, but it's something we should definitely have a good look at.”

With drivers sent out to start their qualifying lap just as the previous driver finished theirs, thereby avoiding one getting in the way of the other, it would also mean that team-mates could not provide a slipstream for each other and could lead to a more representative order where drivers aren't sacrificed for the good of their team leader. You would expect Perez, having spent each of his qualifying runs at Monza towing Max Verstappen, to be in favour of such a move.

The pressure that pitstops put on the mechanics is also something to be looked at. In the past there have been instances of wheels not being tightened properly (Haas in Australia 2018) or axle threads being crossed (as happened to Valtteri Bottas in Monaco this year), thereby effectively ending a driver’s race.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, has a pit stop issue that to retirement

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

In most GT racing series, pitstops are timed to allow for driver changes to occur safely. This is unpopular with some teams who have specialised in pitstops, but it removes the requirement for others to invest in specialist equipment and also makes the pitlane safer. Although there is still tension for the wheel change crews, there are penalties if you undershoot the allotted time - which encourages teams to build in some margin.

The FIA is right to impose a minimum time limit into F1, but it would also work if the number of mechanics allowed to participate in the pitstop was limited. This factor makes IndyCar pitstops much more interesting to watch, plus they have refuelling. This used to be the norm in F1, but made the pitlane even more dangerous for mechanics and drivers alike, as the occasional spillage would easily ignite on hot exhausts or brakes. The Benetton crew, and driver Jos Verstappen, were lucky to survive a huge fire at Hockenheim in 1994.

There have been many other pitlane incidents down the years caused by wheels, not fitted properly, working loose on a car leaving its pit area and bouncing down the pitlane before injuring other teams’ mechanics. It happened on that black day at Imola in 1994, when Michele Alboreto's Minardi shed a wheel, while a cameraman was injured when a wheel departed Mark Webber's Red Bull at the Nurburgring in 2013. These incidents have prompted the use of devices on the axles that prevent a loose wheelnut from undoing completely.

I have seen mechanics thrown in the air when drivers have taken off too fast and clipped someone, but fortunately my own experiences in the pitlane have been mostly positive.

One worrying moment that comes to mind occurred in 1991, when I was engineering at Peugeot in the Group C days, and we had an incident at Monza not long after they had completed the new pit complex. The pitstop area outside each garage was sited on new concrete, which was very slippery.

Yannick Dalmas was driving the Peugeot and was due to hand over to Keke Rosberg. But despite many warnings about his entry speed, Yannick locked up on the concrete, taking out one of the mechanics and the refuelling rig. Luckily the mechanic was not badly hurt, and the refuelling rig withstood the impact and was quickly reinstalled.

Following the near miss in the pitlane at Monza, Aston Martin's Otmar Szafnauer echoed Horner in calling on F1 to “think about how to do that better” and to “make sure we curtail [such practices] before something happens”.

He's absolutely right. Something has to change and soon, especially in the marshalling of the pitlane, before there are serious accidents. It’s down to the governing body to act. We all know motor racing is dangerous, but common sense has to prevail.

Wheel guns in the pit lane

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images