In the sport of

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

, most series have strict penalties for "avoidable contact". In such an incident, two or more vehicles collide in a way so as to make notable damage. The race officials then review the incident, and provide a verdict on whether the contact was avoidable. If the judgement is that it was avoidable, the instigator of the collision will be penalized. Usually, this consists of driving all the way through pit lane into his pit box and then being forced to idle for up to a minute, depending on the severity of the damage.

Penalties

In the IndyCar Series' rulebook, avoidable contact is listed under Rule 9.3.3: "The primary responsibility for avoiding contact with a Competitor resides with the overtaking Competitor and the secondary responsibility resides with the Competitor(s) being overtaken. A Competitor who fails to demonstrate their responsibility and initiates a maneuver that results in contact with another Competitor may be penalized." IndyCar often docks points from the drivers' championship for offenders; for example, in 2015, Hélio Castroneves lost eight points for avoidable contact with

Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 202 ...

at the

Grand Prix of Indianapolis The IndyCar Series hosts two races a year on the combined road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The first, the GMR Grand Prix is held in early May with an inaugural running in 2014. The second race, the Gallagher ...

, and earlier in the year, Ryan Hunter-Reay lost five points and was also placed on probation for forcing

Simon Pagenaud Simon Pagenaud (born 18 May 1984) is a French professional racing driver. He is contracted to drive the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the top class ...

off the track and into Hunter-Reay and Sébastien Bourdais at the

Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana The Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana was an IndyCar Series race held at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana in 2015. The only race held in 2015 was plagued by heavy rain, which turned much of the facility in a quagmire. Qualifying was cancel ...

. In

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

, drivers would receive grid penalties; for example, after the

2010 Korean Grand Prix The 2010 Korean Grand Prix (formally the 2010 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 2010 at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla, South Korea. It was the seventeenth round of the 2010 Fo ...

Adrian Sutil Adrian Sutil (; born 11 January 1983) is a German-Uruguayan racing driver who raced in Formula One for seven seasons: from 2007–2011, then 2013–2014. He drove for the Spyker F1 Team, Force India F1 Team and the Sauber F1 Team. He was also t ...

was awarded a five-place grid penalty for the next race, the , after colliding with

Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG . He previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, and the ...

during the race.

References

Motorsport terminology {{motorsport-stub