The FIA ​​has issued a detailed explanation as to why it did not attempt to remove Alex Albon’s mirror from the track in the middle of the Qatar Grand Prix.

The F1 race at Losail was turned upside down on lap 30 when Alex Albon’s right mirror flew off his Williams on the start-finish straight.

It ended in the middle of the track and initially triggered some double yellow flags, which proved critical after Lando Norris ignored them and received a 10-second stop-go penalty.

Despite the obvious risk of a car hitting the mirror later in the race, the FIA ​​decided not to intervene with either a virtual safety car or a full safety car – and instead let the race continue.

However, four laps later, Valtteri Bottas hit the mirror while avoiding the leaders, sending broken pieces all over the track.

With both Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton suffering tire damage, possibly due to mirror debris, a full safety car was called in to finally remedy the situation.

New F1 race director Rui Marques’ handling of the events has become a major topic of conversation and on Monday the FIA ​​responded with an explanation of why it chose to do things the way it did.

A statement said: “Normally the safety car will not be deployed if there is a small amount of debris and it is outside the racing line

“The extensive debris after a car hit the mirror and the tire damage that occurred shortly afterwards forced us to decide on a safety car

“A VSC would not have been a solution as the cars remain spread out and a marshal does not have enough time to clear the debris.”

However, the governing body admitted that events in Qatar would be looked at more closely and that discussions would take place with teams to see if things could be improved in the future.

“The FIA ​​is constantly reviewing its methods and processes and will further analyze the specific scenario and discuss it with the teams to see if a different approach is required in the future,” it said.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, with a puncture in the pits

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Failure of the vehicle’s safety lighting

The mirror issue wasn’t the only drama for the FIA, as this drama was followed by further confusion when the lights on the safety car went out during the restart.

The lighting issue left then leader Max Verstappen a bit confused about what had happened and that led to a super late restart that left him exposed to Lando Norris behind him.

Regarding this lights malfunction, the FIA ​​said: “All teams were verbally informed that the SC would arrive, therefore the restart proceeded as usual.”

“While the cause of the disruption was identified and rectified, out of an abundance of caution the safety car was replaced in time for its third deployment.”

Norris penalty

Another important point of discussion after the race was the amount of the penalty imposed on Norris for ignoring the yellow flags for the stranded mirror.

Although Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the punishment as “brutal” and McLaren called for a review of the matter, the FIA ​​says the sanction was in line with standard practice.

“The penalty was consistent with the penalty guidelines distributed to teams on February 19, 2024,” it said.

“A double violation of the yellow flag is considered a serious safety impairment, which is why such violations are punished with such a high penalty.”