By Ellie Brogan
The Gentlemen's agreement is an agreement between a group of people as the official definition is “trust one another to do what they have promised. The agreement is not written and does not have any legal force” (Collins Dictionary Online, 2021). This agreement has become one of the most talked-about agreements within Formula 1, especially amongst drivers and in the paddock. The reason behind this driver agreement is within a qualifying session to not overtake on an out lap, to gain an advantage on the 'flying lap' or to put yourself in a better position.
This season the agreement has become more prominent than ever, starting with the rookies, who are unknown to this unwritten rule like Nikita Mazepin. During his first qualifying session, Mazepin decided to overtake to get into a better position as the team were telling him to do so due to the time limit allowed. Mazepin stated, “My team had told me there wasn’t enough time to cross the start-finish line if I don’t go now. I’m the team’s driver, I’m doing as instructed, and the instructions were to push, so I pushed” (Motorsport Week, 2021). Mazepin later agreed to follow the rules.
There has been a broad range of incidents that have seemed to break these unwritten rules. The FIA will not intervene, as it is not an official racing rule so the drivers can take control. Which at times has led to drivers stating their feelings after qualifying such as, Sergio Perez in Baku “It was basically that we all went at the same time, and people created gaps, but then other people overtaking, not respecting the Gentleman's agreement” (Motorsport, 2021). Other drivers have followed suit, for example, Fernando Alonso after an incident with Vettel, for not honouring these rules. Alonso stated, “If it's written that you cannot do one thing and you do it, then you get a penalty - so that is clear for everybody” (Autosport, 2021).
The first out of the pit lane can control the speed of the traffic behind within the session on the out lap as time is ticking, you need to cross the line before the chequered flag, so you need to be ready to hit the lap at full speed. This was the case at Hungarian GP as Lewis Hamilton was first to leave the pits at the later stage of Q3, followed by Max Verstappen. Hamilton remained in pole position, and due to the slow pace, this can affect the tyre performance as this can also allow you to lose speed, as the tyres are not at the correct temperature. On this occasion, Verstappen could not match Hamilton's Pace, but Perez did not make it through for a final attempt to gain potential grid positions as the chequered flag was out. We are in one of the most exciting seasons yet, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton nearly going wheel to wheel every race, this has become another tactic used to gain every margin as on this occasion Mercedes worked this to their advantage during this qualifying session.
The Gentlemen's agreement is certainly a rule that can be broken, push boundaries and gain every possible advantage on the field. It will not be the first time we will see the agreement become a tactic as we are in for an exciting finish this season.
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