Seidl: F1 teams are responsible for points loophole

McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl believes that Formula 1 teams are responsible for the loophole that saw full points awarded on Sunday in Japan, despite the shortened event.

In response to last year’s Belgian Grand Prix, new point allocation structures were drawn up to accommodate shorter races.

However, the regulations state that these are applied if the race can’t be resumed following a red flag stoppage.

As Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix got back underway after the lengthy delay, the FIA used full points despite just over half of the full race distance being completed.

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It allowed Max Verstappen to claim his second F1 title in confusing circumstances, when Charles Leclerc was issued a penalty after the chequered flag.

The regulation drew criticism, as it theoretically means that a race can run for two laps after a red flag with full points enforced.

“To my knowledge, it definitely wasn’t the intention that for what happened here, you get full points,” said Seidl.

“With this loophole, it could have been full points if we had done two laps and the race would have finished. This was definitely not the intention.

“It’s bad in the end. It looks like we all have overlooked it and therefore, I am fine with it even if it doesn’t fit for us here. We simply need to clarify it.”

Seidl added that all teams should take responsibility for the confusion as it was overlooked when the regulation was being drafted.

“I feel responsible for this as well because in the end, we do this review each winter and each team has an opportunity to bring up points which are not clear, for example,” he said.

“And I didn’t go into the full details yet with the team where exactly the loophole was. We understood that everything we have defined together with the FIA and Formula 1 after Spa, is only valid if the race doesn’t finish as normal.

“That is clearly something that we have all overlooked if that is the case.

“Therefore, we are responsible for trying to do a better job over the winter and to close the loopholes if there are any left.

“And in the end, it seems like we all overlooked this loophole and therefore we are all responsible for that and it means we all took fire today together [and will] do a better job next time.”