Because the rain picked up in depth within the Crimson Hook district of Brooklyn, the circuit rapidly grew to become waterlogged and brought on a flurry of incidents – with race chief Nick Cassidy dumping his Envision machine into the wall, the place he was adopted by Lucas di Grassi and Stoffel Vandoorne.
In the meantime, Chook had been caught out by a stranded Pascal Wehrlein on the exit of the nook, however had managed to get rolling once more.
The incidents had promoted a canny Evans into third place, behind temporary race chief Robin Frijns and Edoardo Mortara, however because the FIA decided that the race wouldn’t resume, the outcomes have been counted again from the tip of lap 29, relegating Evans to eleventh – whereas Chook claimed ninth.
Nevertheless, each drivers felt that the situations ought to have been given an opportunity to enhance – which they duly did because the rain stopped following the pink flag – and Evans felt that race management may have supplied some exploratory laps behind the security automobile earlier than resuming proceedings.
“I do not perceive the decision – why pink flag it after which not resume the race?” Evans advised Motorsport.com. “There was seven minutes of the race plus a lap left, so a variety of the race left to go. Situations have been solely going to get higher because the rain had stopped.
“So firstly, I believe it was utterly the fallacious name – simply have the security automobile for just a few laps, and type of simply scout out the state of affairs within the situations. Then we would not be on this place the place guys which have shunted and out of the race have now been reinstated.
“I get that rule has been round for a very long time nevertheless it simply appears fallacious. In qualifying in case you trigger a pink flag you lose your lap; I simply assume there’s been just a few issues I believe in the present day, that I utterly do not agree with and I simply do not assume it is a good look on the game.”
Mitch Evans, Jaguar Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 5, Nyck de Vries, Mercedes-Benz EQ, EQ Silver Arrow 02
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Chook agreed with Evans’ evaluation and was arguably extra effusive in his criticism of the choice to not resume the race.
He reasoned that the circuit had dried up utterly inside half an hour of the race being stopped, and felt that the followers in attendance on the New York Metropolis race may have been given a “correct conclusion” to the race.
“Firstly, look, we see that it is dry. The observe’s dry,” mentioned Chook. “We may have stopped for half an hour, cleared the carnage, gone out below security automobile, and completed the race for the followers, for everyone, to have a correct conclusion.
“The blokes first second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, I believe all crashed. But, they’re all the fellows within the factors. For those who crash in qualifying and also you trigger a pink flag, you lose your lap time. I get that this rule exists. However I am actually fighting it in the present day.
“Clearly, I am one that does not luck in. So in fact, I will be a bit aggravated by it. However I simply do not [understand it], particularly when there’s like 9 laps to go. That is an enormous portion of the race, it is practically 1 / 4 of the race to go.
“I simply do not assume it was dealt with perhaps one of the best in the present day. That is about as robust as I can say with out getting in hassle.”
