Photo : DOMINIQUE BREUGNOT/ACO

 

Following his appointment to the FIA presidency in 2009, Jean Todt decided to add former F1 drivers to assist stewards at Grands Prix. Their primary role is to help investigate race incidents to aid in determining eventual penalties to be handed to the involved drivers.

Among the five former winners of the 24 Heures chosen for this task in 2013, Emanuele Pirro (five wins in 2000-2001-2002-2006-2007) and Derek Warwick (one win in 1992) were the most utilised.  Pirro was steward for the Grand Prix in Germany, South Korea and Japan, while Warwick worked Malaysia, Belgium and Singapore. Winners alongside Loïc Duval in the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Tom Kristensen (record holder of most wins at La Sarthe with nine: 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2013) and Allan McNish (three wins in 1998, 2008 et 2013) were also called upon : Kristensen served for the Grands Prix of Monaco and India, while McNish was steward in Hungary.

After serving as driver steward at the Chinese Grand Prix, Englishman Mark Blundell will be serving in the same role this weekend for the Brazilian GP, final race of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship. For his one and only victory at Le Mans in 1992, he was teammed with Derek Warwick and Frenchman Yannick Dalmas in the Peugeot 905, directed by Jean Todt, who at the time was in charge of Peugeot's sporting activities. Small world indeed!

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translated by Rainier Ehrhardt / ACO

PHOTO : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS CIRCUIT, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, JUNE 20, 2013, QUALIFYING. A month after serving as driver steward at the most prestigious Grand Prix of them all, the Monaco GP, Tom Kristensen improved his own record to nine wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.