FIA says German GP standing start was “simple decision”

FIA race director Michael Masi says using Formula 1’s wet weather standing start procedure for the first time at the German Grand Prix was “a very simple decision”.

The rule to begin a race using a standing start after the field has initially followed the Safety Car to clear standing water was introduced to F1’s regulations back in 2017, but it had not been used until last weekend’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

Heavy rain ahead of Sunday's race resulted in a number of laps being carried out behind the Safety Car, before drivers were ordered to form up on the grid as soon as track conditions were deemed safe enough.

“It was a fluid movement all the way through judging from the track conditions to be honest,” Masi explained.

“We were judging them all the way through up until the ten-minute signal. So what you probably aren’t aware of is we sent the Medical Car out to do a few laps as well.

“We’ve got Alan van der Merwe driving that so he did a couple of in and out laps just to give us his observations on how the track was improving or if it wasn’t changing.

“Obviously we had weather services, everyone putting their hands out to let us know, so it was a mixture of all the information, and then between the four of us collectively up in race control as a team we split the driver radios between us, to listen to what their feedback was, in general what they thought of the track as it was evolving.

“To be honest, the way it was, in hindsight it was a very simple decision to go for a standing start restart.”