WEC Drivers Challenge Race Control Over Monza Safety Decision

Several World Endurance Championship drivers have questioned race control’s decision not to deploy a full-course yellow during the Monza 6 Hours following a late-race crash involving a Cadillac hypercar.

With less than two minutes remaining, Jota driver Alex Lynn collided with the barriers at the exit of the second chicane after making contact with Malthe Jakobsen’s #94 Peugeot 9X8.

Having lost fifth place to Jakobsen at Turn 1, Lynn attempted to retake the position under braking for the Variante de Roggia while driving the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R. The Briton locked up, ran deep into the corner, and veered right upon exiting to cover Jakobsen. The ensuing contact scattered debris across the track on the run toward Lesmo 1, leaving Lynn stranded in his Cadillac until he was instructed to climb over the barriers.

Despite the severity of the incident, race control responded with only double yellow flags between the two corners, allowing the race to conclude with minimal disruption.

Aston Martin driver Tom Gamble, who might have avoided a late penalty for exceeding usable energy had a full-course yellow been deployed, called race control’s response questionable.

“I thought it would have at least gone to a full-course yellow for that incident, but they obviously left it,” Gamble told reporters, including Motorsport.com.

“When I first went through that section, I definitely drove over a lot of debris. As I drove past, I could see the driver walking down the track, and I thought, ‘Yeah, it’s a little bit questionable.’ But the race directors do a good job, and that was a decision they made. Obviously, nothing further happened, so it was all good. Still, it definitely would have been better for us to have an FCY.”

The Monza race concluded a season in which the WEC’s approach to safety-car interventions has faced scrutiny, with some in the paddock questioning whether the championship has prioritized entertainment over consistency.

After the September Fuji 6 Hours, Toyota driver Sebastien Buemi admitted that it had become difficult for teams and drivers to predict race control’s actions following an incident, saying, “There are a lot of full-course yellows and virtual safety cars, and it is difficult to understand why the race director decides on a virtual safety car rather than a full-course yellow.”

Gamble echoed Buemi’s sentiments after the Monza finale, admitting he had struggled to understand several decisions made throughout the year.

“Obviously, you see a piece of debris on the track and get a VSC, and then you see a car half in the track with no wheels and it remains under double yellow,” Gamble said.

Heart of Racing driver Eduardo Barrichello shared that view. Barrichello, who drives the #23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, was chasing Richard Lietz’s #92 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R for the LMGT3 victory when Lynn stopped on track with a heavily damaged Cadillac.

“I wish we would have gotten a safety car, a full-course yellow, or something. It was very dangerous as well. In my opinion, that wasn’t very nice,” Barrichello said.

Several other drivers from both classes also privately expressed frustration to Motorsport.com over the decision not to deploy an FCY.

Loic Duval, Jakobsen’s teammate, offered a more diplomatic assessment, suggesting the timing of the crash likely influenced race control’s decision.

Asked whether he was surprised by the lack of an FCY or VSC, Duval paused before replying, “Yes and no. I think if this had happened earlier in the race, you would have seen something from race control, but it was the end of the race. They put out a double yellow flag, which means you really have to slow down and be capable of stopping the car. I think everybody was aware. Nobody took any risk at that time. So, I think the race director did more or less what was needed, because at the end, you would have had a race that stopped under a full-course yellow or safety car at that point. Luckily, we can trust the drivers, and nobody was pushing in that double yellow section. So, I think we can be happy with the way race control and the other officials managed the situation.”

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