Race #09, Belgium: Post-Race Checks

[Mikko Puumalainen]

The appeal deadline is Thursday, August 16th @ 0:50 GMT

Morgan Morand

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10, 21, 32
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Jeffrey Rietveld

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 22, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Bono Huis

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 23, 35
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: +5s added to race time for Incident #11

Stoffel Vandoorne

Q1: Started from the back of the grid
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 22, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: Official Warning for Incident #5

Yannick Lapchin

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10, 21, 32
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Ville Leppälä

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11 Cut (1st time), 22, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: Official Warning for Pit exit infraction

Patrick De Wit

Q1: Clean
Q2: Cut, wide T9 exit
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 23, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: Back of the Grid in the next race for Qualifying Infraction

Philipp Puschke

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10 Cut (1st time), 21, 33 Cut (2nd time)
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: 0.5 Penalty Points for Pit exit Infraction

Petar Brljak

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 22, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Blair Disley

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 24, 35
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Rasmus Tali

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11 Cut (1st time), 22, 26, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: Official Warning for Pit exit infraction

Eros Masciulli

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 3, 13, 24, 34
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Gergo Baldi

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10, 21, 32, 37
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Matteo Vecchioni

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10, 21, 33
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: 0.5 Penalty Points for Incident #9

Jaakko Mikkonen

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 14, 24, 34
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: 0.5 Penalty Points for Incident #2, Official Warning for Incident #5

Jim Parisis

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11 Cut (1st time), 23, 30
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: Official Warning for Pit exit infraction

Peter Varga

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 11, 22
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: 0.5 Penalty Points for Incident #1, 1 Race Ban for Incidents #1, #7 & #8, License Revoked & Back of the Grid in the next race for reaching 3.0 Penalty Points

Sean Greenlaw

Q1: No laptimes set
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10 Cut (1st time)
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: Official Warning for Pit exit infraction

Marcel vd Linden

Q1: Started from the back of the grid
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 12
GPCOS: Late GPCOS comment (3rd time)
Penalty: 0.5 Penalty Points for late GPCOS comment

Giuseppe Marconi

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 10
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Raino Room

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: Lap 3
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

John-Eric Saxen

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: N/A
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Thomas Cooke

Q1: Started from the back of the grid
Q2: N/A
Log: Save All Replay Sessions="0" (2nd time)
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: N/A
GPCOS: Late GPCOS comment (1st time)
Penalty: 1 Race Ban for Incident #4, 0.5 Penalty Points for Log Infraction, Official Warning for late GPCOS comment

Markus Hoffman

Q1: Clean
Q2: Clean
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: N/A
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

Eduard Mallorqui

Q1: Clean
Q2: N/A
Log: Clean
Launch Control: Used
Pitstop: N/A
GPCOS: Ok
Penalty: N/A

 

[Mikko Puumalainen]

Incidents:

#1

Driver(s) Involved: Peter Varga / Thomas Cooke

Lap/Replay Time: 3 / 8:43

Review: Cooke and Varga are approaching Pouhon, with Cooke closely following Varga. Cooke moves towards the inside to pull alongside Varga, but Varga moves over as Cooke already has his front wing alongside Varga's rear tires. They make contact and Cooke loses a little momentum. Cooke then moves to the outside for another run on Varga, but Varga again moves over on Cooke, his rear tires warping through Cooke's front wing, forcing Cooke to back off again.

Verdict: 0.5 Penalty Points for Peter Varga, late/multiple line changes, also read verdict #8

#2

Driver(s) Involved: Jaakko Mikkonen / Thomas Cooke

Lap/Replay Time: 7 / 15:29

Review: Mikkonen and Cooke are heading up Eau Rouge with Cooke in Mikkonen's slipstream. As they reach the top of Eau Rouge, Cooke has caught up to Mikkonen and is attempting a pass with greater momentum. At the same time Mikkonen is following the car in front, trying to get their slipstream. The car in front moves to the left, prompting Mikkonen to change his line to match the car in front. While doing so, Mikkonen makes contact with the car of Cooke, causing Cooke to lose momentum and to drop behind Mikkonen.

Verdict: 0.5 Penalty Points for Jaakko Mikkonen, while this didn't seem intentional since he was following the car in front, you should always keep an eye on your mirrors.

#3

Driver(s) Involved: Bono Huis / Patrick De Wit

Lap/Replay Time: Pit end of lap 11

Review: De Wit is pitting at the end of lap 11. As he reaches his pitbox, he sees it's occupied by the car of Huis, causing De Wit to lose time while having to wait for Huis to leave.

Verdict: Nothing, the pitboxes were not fixed in time for this track, so there was a chance of multiple teams sharing pitboxes.

#4

Driver(s) Involved: Thomas Cooke, John-Eric Saxen, Jaakko Mikkonen

Lap/Replay Time: 16:56

Review: Cooke is following Saxen and Mikkonen on the start/finish straight. As Mikkonen starts to brake, Saxen matches his deceleration. As Cooke reaches his brakemarker, he doesn't slow down as much as on his previous laps, reaching the 100m board at a 5kph higher velocity than on any previous lap. Cooke attempts to avoid Saxen by moving towards the inside, but makes contact with his right rear wheel and then slams in to the side of Mikkonen, causing damage. As Cooke spins and stalls his engine on the apex, Saxen makes light contact with his stationary car and stalls also.

Verdict: 1 Race Ban for Thomas Cooke, considering this is a nearly identical situation which caused your retirement (and nearly compromised other people as well) in Valencia, this is a strict penalty given in the hopes that you take more caution in the future

#5

Driver(s) Involved: Petar Brljak, Stoffel Vandoorne

Lap/Replay Time: Lap 1 / 5:46

Review: Vandoorne is approaching the bus stop while battling alongside Mikkonen. They both brake relatively late compared to the cars ahead, resulting in Mikkonen lightly tapping the back of Brljak, and Vandoorne to make light contact with the side of Brljak, causing Brljak to lose a bit of momentum.

Verdict: Official Warning for Jaakko Mikkonen, Official Warning for Stoffel Vandoorne

#6

Driver(s) Involved: eros masciulli - raino room

Lap/Replay Time: 9min 38sec

Review: Masciulli and Room are recovering their cars back to the pits without front wings.

Verdict: Nothing

#7

Driver(s) Involved: eros masciulli - peter varga

Lap/Replay Time: 26min 45sec

Review: Masciulli is approaching Eau Rouge, multiple car lengths behind Varga. Varga is following van der Linden, backing off as he gets too close to him. This allows Masciulli to have a good run on both of them. Masciulli tries to maximize the slipstream and then go on the inside to pass both of the cars. As he is about to pull alongside Varga, Varga suddenly moves over to the inside, making contact with Masciulli and van der Linden, resulting in Masciulli running in to the grass and halfspinning in to the guardrail. Based on the onboard footage, it seems like Varga is looking in his mirrors as he makes this manouver (which makes it intentional), since he drives full throttle in to the back of van der Linden, and his front right and rear right tires go on the grass as well.

Verdict: Read verdict #8

#8

Driver(s) Involved: eros masciulli - peter varga

Lap/Replay Time: 47min 3sec

Review: Masciulli is behind Varga going through Eau Rouge. He has more momentum thanks to the slipstream and makes a move to go on the inside before the slight right hand kink on the Kemmel straight. Right after he moves to go on the inside, Varga makes a change of direction to go on the inside as well. As Masciulli's front wing reaches the same level as Varga's rear wing, Varga keeps moving towards the inside and they make wheel on wheel contact. Varga still keeps driving on the inside, forcing Masciulli on to the grass again.

Verdict: 1 Race Ban for Peter Varga, multiple similar offenses

#9

Driver(s) Involved: matteo vecchioni - philipp puschke

Lap/Replay Time: From 38min 50sec untill 38min 58sec

Review: Puschke has just recovered from a spin and is approaching T1 at about 9kph less speed than normal. He brakes slightly earlier than he could considering his speed. Vecchioni is over 3 car lengths behind and attempts to outbrake Puschke, braking 20 meters later than normal. Puschke leaves Vecchioni over one car width of space on the inside, but Vecchioni still make side contact with Puschke, pushing both of them wide. As they try to recover for the exit, Puschke is expecting Vecchioni to use the full width of the track (exit curb included), but Vecchioni straightens his car next to the curb and Puschke makes contact with the rear of his car. Puschke's car briefly lifts up in the air and he loses momentum and an extra position to De Wit.

Verdict: 0.5 Penalty Points for Matteo Vecchioni (for the initial contact)

#10

Driver(s) Involved: stoffel vandoorne - bono huis

Lap/Replay Time: From 53min 2sec untill 53min 4sec

Review: Huis and Vandoorne are approaching the braking zone for the bus stop, Huis is on the inside, but moving across the track to close the distance between his and Vandoorne's car. As they begin to brake, Huis is still moving towards the outside, and his car makes contact with Vandoorne slightly before the turn-in point.

Verdict: Read verdict #11 (this could've been merged with Incident #11 in the first place)

#11

Driver(s) Involved: stoffel vandorne - bono huis

Lap/Replay Time: From 53min 4sec untill 53min 7sec

Review: Continued from Incident #10... As they approach the corner, Vandoorne starts turning in, but with a fast entry so that there is space for Huis on the inside with a slower entry. Huis however starts lifting his foot off the brakes, causing him to not decelerate enough to take a tighter line. Huis makes contact with Vandoorne, causing Vandoorne to halfspin and lose ~2s plus a position.

Verdict: +5s added to race time for Bono Huis

 

[Peter Varga]

what the... khmm.. I almost write here something...
1. Joke... If u look the replay Cook is the one who doesnt really slow down and tried to overtake me, one corner before where a car was spin(yellow flag!!!!), thats why he was slow close to me.. I went on a defensive line, and after I saw slowed down a little I went back because left turn was coming!!!! I didn't push him off the track.. slightly touched.. come on!!! other drivers turn on me 100% harder.. (like De wit in Valencia..)..or Morand also come to me this closer every corner every if he want to stay "real close".. (not just Morand lot of other driver)

AND WHAT ABOUT COOK.. AT 9:00 WHEN ANOTHER CAR WAS SPINING IN FRONT OF ME.. HE DID THE SAME.. DOESNT REALLY SLOWED DOWN.. CAME INTO ME, RUINED MY RACE..

7. I didn't saw him.. please watch back the replay before o'rouge he was far away from me.. in and after o'rouge u cant really see in the mirrors where is exactly the car behind u.. he was much faster there, I just didn't expected he wil be there.. as u saw I was just behind Linden, I was concentrating to overtake him.. I was really supriesed Masculli was there so fast.. I also watch back from Masculli cockpit.. and I agree it looks really bad.. but believe me, I didn't saw him..

AND TELL ME.. WHAT WAS MASCULLI PLAN? HMM.. LETS SAY I SAW HIM.. I DIDN'T MOVE THERE. IN FRONT OF ME THERE WAS VAN DER LINDEN.. HE RAN INTO HIM? OR JUMP? he also could be a little more carefull.. if two car battling in the o'rouge not always the best thing to go there to be the third one..

it was slimply and racing accident..

8. I was just driving on the "ideal" line... because your stupid SPA track has an HUGE bump after o'rouge .. where we had to move to the left side of the track to avoid it.. then back to right.. which is shorter.. if u could be so nice.. please watch back some of my laps.. thats is where I went every lap.. I didn't move there because Masculli was coming.. and he knew that really well I will go there because before he saw where are I usually driving.. (but I guess not just me.. everyone who avoid that f. bump..)..

its great that the ATR guys always watch me like a hawk.. good to know..

 

[Morgan Morand]

Yeah !!! i'm not the only driver who reach 3.0pt penalty now !
Welcome Peter Varga !

 

[William Levesque]

LOL

 

[EnyNX]

I always protected rules and will do it again now that they hit us so hardly. We appealed to COA but we respect WC director hard work and his decisions (despite sometimes we disagree) and we'll respect COA verdict. If it will be decided that Peter was wrong, we'll accept it.

 

[Mikko Puumalainen]

Note: These appeals were handled before the Valencia appeals because the penalties would directly affect the next race. The Valencia appeals will be reviewed as soon as possible.

Appeal #1 (Incident #1: Varga & Cooke; Incident #7: Varga & Masciulli; Incident #8: Varga & Masciulli)

Regarding the incident with Thomas Cooke and Peter Varga, the appeal argues that whilst there was contact between the two drivers, this did not push Cooke off the track. The appeal also mentions that similar incidents took place between other drivers. The purpose of this review is not to look at other incidents, but this one. At the exit of turn 11, Cooke gets a better run and attempts to go alongside Varga to the left. Varga decides to cover the move, but as he moves over, there is slight contact with the nose of Cooke. Momentarily later, Cooke goes back to the outside, which Varga again blocks, resulting in a small contact. The magnitude of the contacts was not huge, however, the COA finds that both of moves of Varga were executed slightly too late. According to article 6.2.c)

You are not allowed to change your line at all when you are alongside another car. Alongside
means any part of the other car is alongside ANY part of your car. Even if the other driver
has only got his front-wing in front of your rear wing, you are not allowed to block

The COA finds the penalty issued by the director (0.5 pp) to be a logical decision in this case.

Appeal Result: penalty stands

In the first incident between Varga and Eros Masciulli on lap 13 following Eau Rouge, the appeal argues that the driver (Varga) did not acknowledge the car behind him due to limited visibility in his mirrors. The COA finds no evidence to back this statement up. The FSR mod has a notably large field of view covered by the three compulsory virtual mirrors. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that these mirrors are properly trimmed. Furthermore, after Eau Rouge the road is completely flat and there are no walls or other obstacles to block the view in the mirrors.

The COA finds that Varga had enough time after Eau Rouge to acknowledge the presence of Masciulli. Unlike the appeal states, the overtaking attempt by Masciulli did not take place in Eau Rouge, but clearly after it. The COA finds nothing wrong in the driving of Masciulli, as he was fully entitled to attempt an overtake.

The second incident between Varga and Masciulli is nearly identical. However, this time the appeal argues that Varga was forced to make the move, due to his ideal racing line. Following investigations, the COA has learned that there indeed exists a bump after Eau Rouge, on the right side of the road. This resulted in Varga choosing the left side at top of the hill. But, this move did not result in any incident. The incident took place afterwards, when Varga decided to move to the right side again, to cover Masciulli.
There is no bump on the left side following Eau Rouge and therefore, there was no need for Varga to turn abruptly right again. Hence, the whole point of this appeal remains largely unclear to the COA.

Regarding the two incidents with Masciulli, the COA finds the driving of Varga worth a moderately heavy penalty, since both involved a late blocking move, forcing the other driver off the road. Since the driver in question has already used up all of his license points, the COA finds no other suitable penalty than what was originally proposed: a race ban. It is noteworthy that should the driver renew his license, his second license only allows up to 1.5 penalty points before a permanent ban takes place. Hence, the COA finds a race ban a more lenient decision than stacking up the driver's second license with more penalty points.

Appeal Result: penalty stands

Appeal #2 (Incident #4: Cooke, Mikkonen & Saxen; Q2 Cut: De Wit)

The appeal from Mak Corp states that Thomas Cooke suffered a brake failure on lap 8 and therefore had no responsibility for the consequent incident into Turn 1. The COA finds no evidence to back up the above claim. Brake failures in the FSR 2012 mod are highly deterministic; there is only a negligible random parameter involved. As witnessed by several drivers, the minimal brake duct, "1", was more than enough for most drivers to finish the race on this track. On no previous occasions has a brake failure occurred anywhere as soon as lap 8 this season, especially not on a brake-lenient track as Spa. Furthermore, a member of COA briefly discussed the matter with Mr Cooke post-race, during which the driver never mentioned brake failure as a trigger for the incident.
Based on above, the COA finds that the principal argument of this appeal with all likelihood is made-up. No evidence from the driver, replay or mod characteristics supports the claim of a brake failure. The COA hopes that the appealing party would take more consideration in the future before bringing matters like above to this instance.

Appeal Result: penalty stands

The appeal argues that the cut of Patrick De Wit during Q2 brought him no advantage, and that hence his penalty should be removed. The COA agrees with the point made in the appeal, stating that the driver did not gain any time through his off-track excursion. Having said that, the COA also acknowledges the policy that the league has followed in each past Qualifying cut in the last couple of seasons (cf. Jeffrey Rietveld at Hungary). Regardless of whether the driver has lost time with his cut or not, the grid penalty has always been applied. The COA sympathizes with the appealing party, but in the same context it has to be said that consistency in decisions is important. Furthermore, if the director were to judge each cut by whether it gained time or not, this would introduce a new grey area to the ruling.

Appeal Result: penalty stands

Appeal #3 (Incident #11: Huis & Vandoorne)

The COA unanimously agrees that the principal trigger to the incident was the braking of Bono Huis. As the appeal acknowledges, Huis locks his brakes momentarily and continues running on a wider trajectory into the corner than normal. The appeal further questions the placement of Stoffel Vandoorne. Whilst the COA finds that Vandoorne was somewhat conservative in providing the necessary space, the replay demonstrates that both cars enter the corner alongside each other within safety margins. The problem emerges at the first apex, when the effect of Huis' late/locked braking becomes apparent. At the exit of the first apex, Huis is positioned much deeper into the corner than on his previous laps. The deviation of Huis' line from the ideal racing line is of such magnitude that even a later entry from Vandoorne with all likelihood would have resulted in a similar contact.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that the mentioned incident in Melbourne was judged by different person(s). While it is certainly desirable for a league to demonstrate similar standards in judging each and every incident, differences in interpretation will always exist between different entities. Moreover, it is outside the scope of the COA to take a stance on a previous director's judging, as the COA deems each incident independently.

Appeal Result: penalty stands

 

[Eros Masciulli]

what the... khmm.. I almost write here something...
1. Joke... If u look the replay Cook is the one who doesnt really slow down and tried to overtake me, one corner before where a car was spin(yellow flag!!!!), thats why he was slow close to me.. I went on a defensive line, and after I saw slowed down a little I went back because left turn was coming!!!! I didn't push him off the track.. slightly touched.. come on!!! other drivers turn on me 100% harder.. (like De wit in Valencia..)..or Morand also come to me this closer every corner every if he want to stay "real close".. (not just Morand lot of other driver)

AND WHAT ABOUT COOK.. AT 9:00 WHEN ANOTHER CAR WAS SPINING IN FRONT OF ME.. HE DID THE SAME.. DOESNT REALLY SLOWED DOWN.. CAME INTO ME, RUINED MY RACE..

7. I didn't saw him.. please watch back the replay before o'rouge he was far away from me.. in and after o'rouge u cant really see in the mirrors where is exactly the car behind u.. he was much faster there, I just didn't expected he wil be there.. as u saw I was just behind Linden, I was concentrating to overtake him.. I was really supriesed Masculli was there so fast.. I also watch back from Masculli cockpit.. and I agree it looks really bad.. but believe me, I didn't saw him..

AND TELL ME.. WHAT WAS MASCULLI PLAN? HMM.. LETS SAY I SAW HIM.. I DIDN'T MOVE THERE. IN FRONT OF ME THERE WAS VAN DER LINDEN.. HE RAN INTO HIM? OR JUMP? he also could be a little more carefull.. if two car battling in the o'rouge not always the best thing to go there to be the third one..

it was slimply and racing accident..

8. I was just driving on the "ideal" line... because your stupid SPA track has an HUGE bump after o'rouge .. where we had to move to the left side of the track to avoid it.. then back to right.. which is shorter.. if u could be so nice.. please watch back some of my laps.. thats is where I went every lap.. I didn't move there because Masculli was coming.. and he knew that really well I will go there because before he saw where are I usually driving.. (but I guess not just me.. everyone who avoid that f. bump..)..

its great that the ATR guys always watch me like a hawk.. good to know..

I think not that my team is watching you Varga. It's more us to need to watch out for you. If other driver has this behavior on track for us we look them same level as you.

 

[Peter Varga]

Morgan At least we have something in common, sadly this.. I would be more happy if I would be a race winner like u . BTW Thx for your ex team! (I get 4 out of the 5 points from ATR I guess !! I know this must be coincidence)

Of course I will respect the decision from the COA. But it really looks like to me they didn't read my comments about the incidents, and sorry I still not agree with the decision. I'm sad I still get all of the penalties.

Furthermore, after Eau Rouge the road is completely flat and there are no walls or other obstacles to block the view in the mirrors.

thats true, but when I came out the o'rouge I guess masculli was still there, and in that case u cant see the car behind u. And u also forget to mention that I started an overtake move after o'rouge, so my concentration was splitted because this. (maybe u are right and I would had time to notice him, I just want to point out I had a really short time because of o'rouge, and beceause the car in front of me ( this was not a simply "I didn't look the mirror situation",) thats why I think this more like racing incident.

The COA finds nothing wrong in the driving of Masciulli, as he was fully entitled to attempt an overtake.

But where he wanted to go? Did u watch back the replay? I mean really.. Lets say I saw him in time. I didn't move to right side of the track, Then what? yep he had space to go next to me, but he had no chance to overtake me because the car in front of me were already there! He was faster than us, so if he doesn't slow down he slimply ram in to the car in front of me. (and I saw no sign from him to slowing down, despite the car was there and he saw it!) Thats why I think he also could drive more safe there.

There is no bump on the left side following Eau Rouge and therefore, there was no need for Varga to turn abruptly right again. Hence, the whole point of this appeal remains largely unclear to the COA.

As I wrote I moved back there bacuse that was my driving line (but I guess not just mine, lot of driver goes back to right because that is shorter, and faster.( after o'rogue go left than back to right, then back to left...).. Thats why I asked u to be nice and watch back some of my laps, there is where I usually drive, I didn't move there because of masculli. And he knew that I will move there...


And masculli if u are "not watching me" only "watch out for me" then do me a favor .. next time if u saw me be more carefull! Because If u are right I'm a moving danger zone