Marussia fined; Chilton and Gutierrez handed reprimands - MotorSportsTalk

The FIA stewards have been busy after qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday due to a three indiscretions that have warranted their attention.

Ahead of the race weekend, the FIA released a guide to the pit exit at Interlagos in order to prevent the drivers from cutting across the white line as they have done in the past when entering the pits and completing a lap.

The FIA also released the following image reminding drivers of the rules regarding the pit entry line. #F1 pic.twitter.com/H1hklRnlvj

— F1 Fanatic (@f1fanatic_co_uk) November 23, 2013

However, both Max Chilton and Esteban Gutierrez failed to adhere to these rules when entering the pits during the final practice session on Saturday morning, cutting across the white line and prompting an investigation by the stewards. As a result, both drivers have received a reprimand, although neither have picked up three across the course of the season and therefore this will not affect the grid.

Marussia were also handed a fine after both Chilton and teammate Jules Bianchi were released into the queue of cars at the beginning of Q1, not allowing the cars that had already come out to exit before them. As a result, the team has been fined €5000.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross