Alexander Rossi was briefly left stopped on a front straight under just a local yellow on Saturday. Saturday's IndyCar race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course took a strange turn when Alexander Rossi stopped on the front straight with a mechanical issue in the middle of a pit cycle. IndyCar responded with a local yellow rather than a full caution, part of a previous policy to ensure a complete green flag stop cycle where possible.
This prompted major outrage, and as a direct result, the series is backing down on the policy that led to the incident. Under previous series officiating standards, a single-car incident on a road course during a cycle of pit stops would not be a full-course caution until after all drivers have a chance to enter an open pit lane under green.
View Price on AmazonThis makes sense for a minor incident, because it does not blow up strategy and unfairly disadvantage cars that stopped early. When there is a major safety risk, as Rossi faced on Sunday, it becomes significantly harder to defend. As a direct result, IndyCar officiating is now formally removing what the series describes as "pit windows and the running order of cars on track" from its list of factors to consider when determining whether or not to slow the field under the safety car.
The decision ends years of criticism over cautions held during pit cycles, although it also greatly increases the risk of pitting late in a cycle of green flag stops on a road course. The new rule would have meant a quick yellow when Rossi stopped on Saturday, but it would not have changed the strategic impact of the incident on the race.
Source: roadandtrack.com
