90-second Time Penalty for car #72
Offense: Causing a collision
Lap Number: 368
Offending Driver: Balint Zsidi
Explanation:
An absolutely ridiculous incident in the in-lap, where car #72 did donuts in the middle of the track at Karting corner, while cars were still coming past to make their way to the pitlane. This caused a collision with car #997.
Imagine the driver of car #997 having a powerful DD wheelbase. It’s the end of the race, focus is gone, grip on the wheel slacked, maybe even only 1 hand on the wheel. To then find a car sideways in the middle of the track on the exit of a corner could mean instead of celebrating finishing the GEM Le Mans 24, the driver could be off to the hospital to get x-rays for a broken thumb.
As a clear violation of Article 8.11 and potentially endangering a driver in another car, the maximum available penalty is applied, being the equivalent of a 60-second StopGo penalty. The only reason this is not a disqualification is that we don’t want to punish the entire team for a brain lapse of a single driver.
2 Penalty Points imposed on the drivers license, because of the severe reckless nature of the incident.
The full decision document will be made available to the team managers after the race.