[peebee2]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

To be honest, I am not sure what is wrong with the rule as written. If you get away slowly, you are given a chance to get back into position. If you can't manage to do that within a reasonable amount of time, then don't try to use the entire circuit to carve your way through the field (significant risk for collision as nobody really expects to be overtaken during formation lap) and start from the back.

As to why the pitlane vs. back of the field. Where exactly do you go? What if more than one car has issues? Do you have to remember which side you should line up on? What if the other guy lines up incorrectly, do you take his spot, or do you continue to do the wrong thing and line up behind him? It could be a big mess by just letting them figure it out on the fly. Clearly in this incident you had two drivers who didn't know what to do.

Just have them start from pit lane with less opportunity for shenanigans and/or something that causes a false start for the entire field?

It sounds like the real problem is that Perez was probably being difficult and Hartley didn't know he could regain his position and was afraid to overtake on the formation lap. I am a bit of a Hartley fan, but I put most of the blame on him (which seems to be what they did).

Richard

Exactly. Hartley doesn’t know the rules. Totally inexcusable at this level. Totally.