Lewis Hamilton's Restart Branded Unsafe As Australian GP Stewards Call For Regulation Change

Australian GP stewards are calling for change.

The chaotic Australian Grand Prix has led to stewards calling for a regulation change after several close calls. 

The grand prix was full of drama with multiple safety cars, retirements, and red flags. The first red flag came after Alex Albon crashed in the Williams at Turn 7. When the race restarted, Lewis Hamilton was leading the pack behind the Safety Car.

Under the current regulations, the seven-time champion was able to set the pace before the racing got going again, and he decided to go so slow that there was almost a pile-up at the back of the grid. Both Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu and Williams' Logan Sargeant had to make last minute moves to avoid a collision, whereas Haas' Kevin Magnussen went through the gravel. 

Following this, the race stewards have called for a regulation change over the restarts. They explained:

“When Russell and the cars behind caught up with the cars in front, they were met with a significant speed delta between the two groups resulting in a situation where a number of cars had to take evasive action.

“This was not at all an ideal situation from a safety point of view.

“Although Russell’s start was slow, given that he had to maintain the pit lane speed 'til he got out of the pits and that he immediately sped up to make up the gap, we did not consider that it would be necessary or appropriate to penalise Russell for a slow start from the pit lane. We, therefore, took no further action.

“We do consider that part of the problem is the regulation that permits the lead car to set the pace even when the restart is for a standing start from the pit lane.

“This should perhaps be looked at in the future to see if this is appropriate for a restart of this nature.”

Article 58.11 of the sporting regulations currently states: 

“At this point the first car in line behind the Safety Car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than ten (10) car lengths behind it.”