Formula One officials confirmed on Friday that teams are no longer allowed to touch their cars with jacks during penalty pit stops in the wake of the Fernando Alonso controversy at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin driver Alonso received a five-second penalty for a grid error at Jeddah and then another for not serving it correctly: the rear jack made contact with his car before the five seconds were up.
The additional penalty saw the two-time world champion demoted to fourth from third, but the stewards later retracted the decision after Aston Martin successfully appealed, putting Alonso back on the podium.
With teams banned from working on cars during penalty pit stops, the governing FIA issued a directive to clarify the matter.
“For clarity and until further notice, in this context, physical contact of the car or driver with hand, tools or equipment (including front and rear jacks) during any such penalty will be considered work,” it said. the FIA.
The directive follows the FIA’s decision to expand the grid spaces at Albert Park for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, after Esteban Ocon and Alonso were penalized for missing their marks in the first two races of the season.
