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Race director Masi explains how Bottas avoided jump start penalty

Photo: © LAT Images

Race director Masi explains how Bottas avoided jump start penalty

There were likely a few sweaty palms on the Mercedes pitwall in the early stages in Hungary

FIA race director Michael has explained how Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas avoided a penalty for a false start at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The start of a Formula 1 grand prix is signalled by five light switching on one by one, pausing, and then going out. As the phrase goes, "It's lights out, and away we go."

When the lights shut off, a driver must be static, and within their gird slot.

Masi explained: "There're two parts to that, in that the means which a false start is determined is actually clearly detailed in the sporting regulations and has been the same process for a number of years, which is the transponder which is fitted to each car is the judgement mechanism.

“There’s a sensor in the road, in the track as well. There’s a tolerance within that and, as we saw in Japan last year, that is the determining factor, and so there was nothing further to have a look at."

Referred to by Masi, the incident in the Japanese Grand Prix of 2019 saw Sebastian Vettel escape a penalty after making a very similar error, releasing the clutch early, but bringing his car to a stop without exiting the grid slot before the lights went out.

The Hungarian 'incident' was never officially reported to the stewards for an investigation, but Masi confirmed: “We spoke to the timekeepers immediately, and they reviewed all the data and that was the end of the matter.”

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