Between the start of Test Day and the end of the first round of qualifying, no fewer than 57 decisions were rendered by the stewards’ panel! A huge majority concerned the failure to comply with speed limits when the track was neutralised during free practice and qualifying. The drivers receive a reprimand for their first offence but are issued a heavier penalty in the event of a repeat infringement.

The penalty measures quickly become more dissuasive, depending on the seriousness of the offence. Of course, there is a difference between sending in a document after the stated deadline and causing an accident on track, and the penalties thus differ too. In the first case, a monetary fine is issued, as indicated in the regulations. In the second case, the decision on the penalty lies with the stewards’ panel, who carefully look at the circumstances surrounding the incident.

However, certain infringements, such as reversing in the pit lane or someone other than the driver repairing a car that has stopped on the side of the track, result in an immediate exclusion.

The exclusion may concern a single driver, rather than the car. That was the case for Aston Martin’s Stuart Hall in 2009 when he knocked another competitor into the safety barrier. His teammates thus spent the remaining 15 hours of the race as a two-driver crew. On Wednesday evening, Mike Conway, driver of the #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid was issued a suspended three-minute stop-and-hold penalty that will only apply if he reoffends during the race. 

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, 2019. When the race director issues a full course yellow, the drivers must comply with a maximum speed limit of 80 kph or risk a penalty.