Martin Brundle urges FIA to review red flag procedure after chaotic Australian GP

Brundle, Bahrain, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Martin Brundle

Brundle urges FIA to review red flag procedure after Melbourne mayhem

The Sky Sports TV pundit wants things looked at properly following the chaotic Australian Grand Prix

Joe Ellis

Monday 3 April 2023 15:56 Updated: 16:14

Martin Brundle wants the FIA to review the rules during a red flag after three were flown at the Australian Grand Prix.

It set an unwanted record in F1 for the number of red flag periods in a single race and the third restart prompted a huge number of incidents on track.

Top TV pundit Brundle has seen red flag procedures go virtually untouched for years but he wants a review of that system.

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Currently, teams are permitted to change tyres under a red flag but that put George Russell and Carlos Sainz at a disadvantage in Melbourne after they pitted under the safety car.

George Russell led the race prior to his safety car pitstop

Brundle: What goes around, comes around

Brundle, though, insists the misfortunate that befell the pair will even itself out over time, but believes that changes are needed to the red flag procedures.

"What goes around comes around on these things," he wrote in his Sky Sports column.

"The purpose of being able to change your tyres under a red flag is there has almost always been an incident. You are allowed to change your front wings, and if you have got punctures or whatever, you are allowed to change your tyres.

"We need to review that but, as always in Formula 1, it is a hugely-complicated business and the unintended consequences of that.

"We really have to think that through before we change that because it really does annoy people, but, on another day, George Russell might benefit from it."

Martin Brundle interviews Lewis Hamilton

No perfect solution...

In instances like this, there will always be someone who isn't pleased with the outcome but the rules are the same for everyone.

If nobody could change anything under a red flag, there would be people with damage being asked to go back out with a potentially dangerous car.

Perhaps the solution is that anyone wanting to change tyres or parts has to cycle to the back of the queue when they do so but a review, as Brundle says, is certainly necessary.