The past few seasons have seen some intriguing, out-of-the-box rule and regulation changes in Formula One, but the latest proposition seems to be just bordering on ridiculous.
There are suggestions of removing rolling restarts under the safety car, and replacing them with a full, standing start.
Changes such as forcing drivers to use two tyre compounds during a race, removing refuelling stops and limiting teams and drivers to 100 litres of fuel seem pretty straightforward, while innovations such as the Drag Reduction System (DRS) have been innovative to say the least.
But new rules and regulations have started to take a ridiculous turn, starting with the double points finale in Abu Dhabi to close out the 2014 season, which will see points awarded for the race doubled, even though the grand prix has no distinguishing features of note, other than the fact it’s the last race.
Safety car periods tend to throw the race wide open, if they occur at the right time, with this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix a great example.
It’s generally used to keep the cars running, when accidents can be cleared in a short amount of time, while bigger accidents to clear up tend to bring out the red flag, with a recent example being the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix.
The benefit of a race being stopped, in comparison to having the safety car brought out, is that there are no laps without racing.
If the race stops on lap 12, the race resumes on lap 12, whereas if the safety car comes out on lap 12, and then stays out for three laps, the race resumes on lap 15, although drivers may pit if they wish to during this time.
This is where the proposed change renders the difference between the two useless. If a race is going to be brought to a stop for a full, standing restart, the red flag may as well be brought out, as this way we don’t lose any laps of the grand prix.
Plus, there’s the safety issue of dropping temperatures even more than if the cars were still running. With the tyre temperatures dropped, as well as others elsewhere on the car, driver’s may lose grip. A key reason the FIA use such a high performance-spec vehicle (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT) as the safety car is to allow the cars to keep as close to optimum performance temperatures as possible, which is believed to have been a key reason to Ayrton Senna’s fatal accident in 1994, which occurred a lap after a safety car restart, the first time it had been used in Formula One.
While the change hasn’t been made official yet, as the FIA World Motorsport Council has to ratify the change for the 2015 regulations, it had been agreed upon by the Strategy Group, a combination of the championship winning teams, Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Media organisations (FOM), and the FIA itself.
Please, for the love of the sport, either get rid of the safety car periods and bring out the red flag, or don’t change anything at all.
The restart may be more exciting, but we don’t want to lose any racing.
Roarers, what are your thoughts on the restart changes?
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
It’s time that serious questions are asked of his Lance Stroll and his future in the team.
Five-years is a long time in motorsport, let alone the general state of the world – especially given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic…
Red Bull and Max Verstappen vaulted right back to the top of the charts with a win in Suzuka, after his DNF in Melbourne.
Japan Grand Prix has been the most entertaining of the season to date, but Max Verstappen was back to his winning ways.
This season is only four races old, but Fernando Alonso needs to decide on his future beyond this year sooner rather than later. Formula…
It’s a pretty good time to be a Tasmanian sports fan right now. After years in the sporting wilderness with not much to celebrate,…
