A F1 Grand Prix weekend typically consists of a few practice sessions and a qualifying session apart from the main race. In the qualifying and practice sessions, drivers head out onto the track to complete a lap around the circuit as fast as they can. The problem is that the track has to be shared with 19 other drivers, who are also trying to set the fastest times around the track.
These drivers might be on a slow out-lap, a cool-down lap, or they might just be in a slower car. Therefore, more often than not, these slow drivers come into the path of a driver who is trying to set a fast lap. This leads to the fast driver being blocked, or, in other words, impeded.
The term impeding can be defined as the act of blocking or preventing someone or something. In F1, impeding is when a slow driver blocks another driver who is on a fast lap trying to set a time on the board.
Most of the time, this is caused due to a radio miscommunication between the team and the driver. The team on the pit wall tries their best to keep their driver informed about what is happening around them if anyone is behind them doing a fast lap. But to err is human, and sometimes mistakes happen. The proper information does not get through to the driver in time, which leads to the slow driver ‘Impeding’ the fast one.
What does Impeding mean in F1?
Impeding usually happens during the practice sessions and the qualifying session, because during the main race, all the drivers are driving at their limit and there is no slow car per se. However, during the other sessions, there might be multiple occasions where a driver would be driving around the track slowly.
If a driver is trying to warm up his tires and brakes on the out-lap from the pits, he will be slower than usual. If he had completed a fast lap during qualifying, he would be cooling down his tires and brakes on the in-lap to the pits, and again, would be slower. And while all this is happening, a second driver might be trying to set a fast lap and is driving at his full potential.
If this doesn’t get penalised for impeding, nothing ever will#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/cYbACJh54G
— Patrick (@tothemaxf1) May 27, 2023
It is expected that the slow driver will always keep off the racing line if a fast driver is approaching him. However, sometimes, the slow driver fails to do so, and the fast driver has to back off from his lap. He can also take an alternate racing line that ends up ruining his lap, or in the worst case scenario, if he can’t take avoiding action, he might end up crashing into the slow driver.
If this happens, and the fast driver has to take avoiding action which causes them to lose a potential lap time, it is called impeding. The FIA takes this very seriously and often awards the impeding driver a harsh penalty.
What is the penalty for Impeding?
The race director and stewards have the right to hand out various penalties if they deem that a driver has impeded another. The most common penalty that is dished out is a grid penalty.
BREAKING: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has received a three-place penalty at the Monaco GP for impeding Lando Norris during qualifying 🏎️🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/ssZe83gLX0
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 27, 2023
Usually, it is a three-place grid drop that is given to a driver if he impedes another driver during the Qualifying session. If it happens during the practice session, usually the driver is let off with a warning. However, if the incident leads to something serious, such as a crash, then the driver might be handed a grid drop penalty, the severity of which will be decided by the stewards on a case-by-case basis.
Is blocking illegal in F1?
Blocking is strictly forbidden in Formula 1. Be it during the practice sessions, qualifying, or during the main race. If a driver blocks another during the practice sessions or during qualifying, it is seen as a case of impeding, and penalties are handed out accordingly.
As for the race, a driver cannot block another one from overtaking him. As per a 2012 rule by the FIA, a driver can only change their direction once to defend their position. Additionally, it is prohibited to move under braking.
Usually, in a case of blocking, the drivers are warned up to three times, after which they receive penalties. These are usually time penalties, but can also be a grid penalty for the next race. If the case of blocking leads to a serious incident in which the cars make contact, then the penalty is more severe. These penalties range from a five-second time penalty to a stop-and-go penalty or a drive-through penalty.
Overall, the FIA tries its best to keep F1 as safe as possible for the drivers. Therefore, impeding or blocking is taken very seriously in the sport.
