GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: Scott on October 05, 2014, 02:00:31 PM
-
Ok, someone's got to start this thread. I'll give it a whirl.
Latest reports as I write are Bianchi is in surgery with severe head trauma. That description is about that last thing you want to hear after an accident. Hopes and prayers to his family and the whole Marussia team.
Some won't like it, but I am going to assign blame, and that blame is aimed squarely at Charlie. I put the charge of negligence clearly on him. I don't care what Lauda or the rest of the FIA have to say on the matter.
It's pouring rain and a driver spins off for unknown reasons over the gravel on the outside of a turn. For me, there is really no question that if the stricken car must be removed for safety, then it is necessary to bring out the Safety Car. If the stricken car wasn't in a dangerous place to begin with, then there would have been no rush to remove it. Especially in case of the possibility that the accident was caused by track conditions, which now in retrospect we can say it likely was, since an identical accident happened only a minute or two later.
The SC SHOULD have been deployed immediately, and BEFORE a large piece of construction equipment is brought out to remove the car. The FIA must learn that they MUST control a crash scene if it is at all possible to happen again. For crying out loud, they red flag a race to repair a small piece of guardrail at the British GP for 45 minutes, that only had a million in one chance of being hit in the same place again, yet they think it's ok to wave local yellows in a downpour and drive a tractor out? It really doesn't make any sense to me.
I'm all for drivers and engineers learning how to make the cars drivable in severe weather so we don't have to have long SC periods for rain, but if you go to such care to design a track and car that protects the drivers to the extent we've seen them over the past years, then why on EARTH do you introduce a massive and heavy piece of iron to the mix without first controlling the scene?
Maybe it's time to re-think some more safety. Either come up with a machine that is properly protected and will absorb the impact of an F1 car, or establish fixed procedures for each track as to how dangerously placed stranded cars are extricated. At the very least install cranes on outside corners to pick up those cars, and rely on tractors and the rest for the less dangerously stranded cars, or as I said above, figure out a way to properly secure the scene before any heavy machinery is brought out.
There, I'm done.
-
I tend to agree on the subject of the SC needing to be out BEFORE the heavy equipment.
I haven't seen footage of Bianchi's crashing into the scene.
-
Totally agree Scott, latest report I have seen says that Jules has a severe head trauma and will be transferred to intensive care after the op. As terrible as it is I hope the FIA don't make a knee jerk decision like banning wet races.
-
Totally agree Scott, latest report I have seen says that Jules has a severe head trauma and will be transferred to intensive care after the op. As terrible as it is I hope the FIA don't make a knee jerk decision like banning wet races.
They don't have to ban wet races, just bring out the safety car automatically when there are people or equipment in the racing area.
I'm still watching the BBC coverage of the race that I taped. Not a word about Bianchi.
-
Latest update is post surgery he is breathing on his own...positive sign.
-
The BBC are now reporting that there are conflicting accounts of reports that Bianchi is breathing on his own which makes for an even more worrisome time. I like everyone hopes he will be ok and my thoughts are with him, his family and the team
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29499545
The safety car should have been bought out as soon as Sutil crashed into the barrier- they've bought out the SC for much less serious things, like the barrier repair at the British grand prix as detailed above- why wasn't it deployed this time? Were they worried about having to end the race early? although from what I can gather the 75% mark had already been passed leading to full points for the drivers and the teams- the 2 hour race time limit was also approaching so could this have had anything to do with why the SC was not bought out?
Wet weather racing is exciting and although the weather obviously played it's big part with the initial Sutil crash I believe it was lack of action on the FIA's/Charlie's part which was the bigger problem
I guess we will get our answers soon, but this incident shouldn't have happened.
-
It's very easy for us to sit here and blame Charlie Whiting. Would any of us made a different call? Would we have got it spot on? I think that blaming him is entirely the wrong approach. He has to make very difficult calls very quickly, and the accident to Sutil was not serious. For another car to go off one lap later in the exact same spot at such a trajectory as to hit the recovery vehicle was extremely improbable.
To me, we need to look at the bigger picture. The forecasters had guaranteed appalling weather for the afternoon. The conditions earlier in the day were much more favourable. They should have, in my view, changed the start time. Wet races are great levellers and are a great challenge for the drivers, but typhoon weather is not. To start the race, even behind the safety car, when they did was daft. Sometimes the weather has to take precedence over audience figures, and that is what should have happened today.
Also, many people watching in Europe and the US have recorders. Had it been agreed on Saturday to change the start time, television companies could have made alternative arrangements in plenty of time. It was a missed opportunity.
Aside from all of this, the main issue is Bianchi's health. I hope that he does recover. It's, of course, too early to say, but the initial signs were promising. I'll await further news tomorrow, as I don't want to get into all of that again at this late hour. I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
-
I also put this down to Race Control, given the condition of track, the fact that Sutil was uninjured, it's a tricky bend and the strong possibility that the race wouldn't have gone the full distance there was no rush to bring the crane out, S/C should have been immediately deployed, the signs would have been activated and all cars would have slowed down and just maybe this accident would not have happened.
-
No, no, and no Irisado.
Yes, I would have made the right call in his chair, and as I said in my post, it's pouring rain, why do you think it's unlikely to have an accident at the same place? It's VERY possible, and if the initial cause was a track condition that caused Sutil to aquaplane, then the chance of it happening again is even LIKELY.
Charlie's SC calls have been criticized more and more by pundits who have suggested the timing of his SC calls seem to be more about sporting or TV considerations than just safety. I suggest this was again one of those times.
You can't just change start times of a GP because a storm is coming in. The forecasts on Friday and Saturday (correctly) predicted that the bulk of the storm would arrive at Suzuka on Monday, and that Sunday would be scattered showers, which is exactly what it was...don't forget most of the race was actually rain-free, just a wet track left over from earlier rain that was still lightly coming down as the race started (which would have fallen on the race if it had been run earlier perhaps?). Like it or not, TV is what pays the bills. It's not just about who can record the race either, thousands of bars and restaurants and their employees depend on the income a 3hr F1 race brings in. The rain wasn't even that bad according to most driver reports, but that part of the track became dangerous obviously.
And people who are perhaps on holiday, like our dear John, would have set their recording, only to return home and find it full of Coronation Street! What then?
No seriously, and I am totally serious when I say It is absolutely and completely Charlie's fault that he made a horrible choice and it could very well have cost a young promising driver his career and very nearly, his life. Read some comments on the web, The vast majority with an opinion are calling for Whiting's resignation.
-
It's perhaps also a wake up call to go through procedures on track equipment. As I said before, is a massive front end loader really a practical vehicle to remove an F1 car, and is it perhaps also time to ask us it really a good idea to have ANY vehicle extracting cars from outside of corners where there is even a possibility of it happening again? Overhead cranes are used at many other tracks, why not for ALL danger zones?
On French TV - Live - Jacques Villeneuve (commentating on the race) was shocked that they brought the crane out without the SC...this was before Bianchi crashed.
-
This is a tough call. Charlie has taken a lot of heat over the years for sending the SC out too often and unnecessarily. Even in this race he was criticized by Lewis and others for leaving the SC out too long at the start. Generally though safety equipment on the track = Safety Car.
:DntKnw:
-
This is a tough call. Charlie has taken a lot of heat over the years for sending the SC out too often and unnecessarily. Even in this race he was criticized by Lewis and others for leaving the SC out too long at the start. Generally though safety equipment on the track = Safety Car.
:DntKnw:
I think that's part of the problem: he's got such a long history of trying to appease everyone (who doesn't want to make people happy?) that when it comes time to make a critical desicion, he's too encumbered to make it. It's time for a fresh set of eyes, a fresh interpretation of the rules, and a fresh reputation to build.
I wouldn't want Charlie's job, but I'm willing to bet there are dozens of qualified people who would be ready to take over his job tomorrow.
-
This is shocking video, look fast!!
http://autoweek.com/video/formula-one/video-jules-bianchi-crash-video (http://autoweek.com/video/formula-one/video-jules-bianchi-crash-video)
-
This is shocking video, look fast!!
http://autoweek.com/video/formula-one/video-jules-bianchi-crash-video (http://autoweek.com/video/formula-one/video-jules-bianchi-crash-video)
Well, I'm glad that the BBC didn't show that during the race broadcast.
But... wow. There is no excuse for that to happen in modern sports.
And the marshall in the stand is waving a green flag? (Or was that some other flag washed out in a grainy video?)
-
That was one horrifying crash that should never have happened. :nono:
-
That was really terrifying. It is testimonial to the safety of a modern F1 car that he is alive at all.
Somewhere I read the car was going about 120mph when it hit the tractor. I came across a youtube video that was full of still shots, but one was quite a closeup of the car itself. I took this screenshot of it. Warning...Jules is still inside the car. There is nothing graphic, but it's unbelievable the damage to the car. The engine box is just sheared off.
Like everybody has said, this really shouldn't have happened.
-
I just read that he is now being listed as "critical but stable."
It's hard to believe how it literally tossed the tractor like it was a toy.
I agree that there is no way that should have happened. I realize that the FIA people in charge didn't want to finish the race under a safety car. That doesn't justify putting the drivers in that kind of jeopardy. The combination of poor visibility and slick track should have brought out a red flag while the snatch tractor was operating in that area. It would have prevented both the "finish under caution" and the most horrific crash we've seen in F1 in a generation or more.
Forza Jules.
-
Cranes are the way to go tractors are a bigger risk using a crane there would have been nothing there.
-
That was really terrifying. It is testimonial to the safety of a modern F1 car that he is alive at all.
Somewhere I read the car was going about 120mph when it hit the tractor. I came across a youtube video that was full of still shots, but one was quite a closeup of the car itself. I took this screenshot of it. Warning...Jules is still inside the car. There is nothing graphic, but it's unbelievable the damage to the car. The engine box is just sheared off.
Like everybody has said, this really shouldn't have happened.
It's absolutely amazing that the back end of the tractor appears to be designed to target the heads of F1 drivers.
With all the work that the FIA has done to create safe cars (aardvark noses), if they're going to put equipment on the track, it should be compatible with the safety features of the cars.
-
The type of injury has been disclosed by Bianchi's family.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116205
One thing about seeing the picture of Bianchi still in the car was to see that his helmet appeared intact, which again, is a remarkable testament to the safety of today's equipment.
-
The type of injury has been disclosed by Bianchi's family.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116205
One thing about seeing the picture of Bianchi still in the car was to see that his helmet appeared intact, which again, is a remarkable testament to the safety of today's equipment.
Many years ago Christian Fittipaldi* crashed into a barrier at an Indy Car race. All the sensors in the car indicated a 100g crash that he should have killed him instantly, according to the latest research at the time. While he suffered a severe concussion, he obviously wasn't killed. Instead, the amount of technical data available, and high level of medical analysis offered elite athletes helped research into concussions and g forces make a quantum leap forward.
Obviously I hope Bianchi makes a full recovery, but I'm also looking forward to information from the crash, injury and treatment providing another quantum leap into understanding head injuries.
*I'm not 100% sure it was Christian, my point was the crash and the data collection.
-
A second video and commentary at Autoweek.
http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/fia-battles-social-media-remove-julies-bianchi-crash-video (http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/fia-battles-social-media-remove-julies-bianchi-crash-video)
According to Wikipedia, 90% of people with his injury never regain consciousness. Let's pray he is in the 10%.
-
Taking this quote from the commentary, I would agree that the green flag being waved by the tower marshal, while "technically" not incorrect, is definitely the wrong signal to display. Assuming Bianchi had slowed for the yellow (double yellow according to some reports), he would have been back on the gas seeing the green, which could well have been the cause of his loss of control.
"One of the thousands to watch the video is Prost himself, who said he was alarmed to see that a marshal right next to the incident was waving a green flag.
"It should have been at least a hundred meters away," Prost said.
Indeed, the green flag being waved from the marshal tower just after the incident scene is causing a great deal of controversy after the amateur footage emerged. But former driver Emanuele Pirro, who also serves as a driver steward for the FIA, says that it is "perfectly regular" for green flags to be waving at the very next marshal post after a caution zone -- even if this is just a meter away."
Perhaps the most interesting thing I noticed in a section of this video moments after this footage stops, another track worker climbs the ladder to the tower, the tower marshal switches back to the yellow and holds out the sign "SC". This would seem to indicate that Bianchi's crash may well have come before the Safety Car was dispatched. If this be the case, what in Heaven's name was that heavy equipment doing out there removing Sutil's car?
-
...what in Heaven's name was that heavy equipment doing out there removing Sutil's car?
That's exactly the problem. The SC was NOT deployed before the Bianchi crash. It was deployed AFTER. That is clear simply by the fact that the SC gives way to the medical car as they are leaving the pit lane - the medical car had already been called for Bianchi before the SC was deployed.
I really don't get what all the discussion is about. The FIA (Charlie Whiting) made a tragic error, miscalculation, decision, mistake...call it whatever you like, but if he held off the tractor until the SC could safely pick up and slow down the cars, then Bianchi would not be hurt.
-
Latest Bianchi summary including statement from his family.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29521187
-
I had questions about just what his injury is and what the outcome may be. I found this article.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1/what-diffuse-axonal-injury-what-4401516
-
Two thoughts:
I agree with Scott that this lays directly at Charlie's feet. He should have brought out the SC as soon as Sutil went off. Or stopped the race. Way too much water on the track for a safe race situation.
There should be no vehicles other then SC or Medical cars on the track at all during a race. All cranes to remove vehicles should be placed behind guardrails and have long enough reach to get stricken cars. It can be done. It just requires more cranes and better placement. Even under SC speeds and in wet conditions the cars are traveling fast enough to hydroplane and spin out. Hydroplaning can occur at any speed over 70 KM.
-
Two thoughts:
I agree with Scott that this lays directly at Charlie's feet. He should have brought out the SC as soon as Sutil went off. Or stopped the race. Way too much water on the track for a safe race situation.
There should be no vehicles other then SC or Medical cars on the track at all during a race. All cranes to remove vehicles should be placed behind guardrails and have long enough reach to get stricken cars. It can be done. It just requires more cranes and better placement. Even under SC speeds and in wet conditions the cars are traveling fast enough to hydroplane and spin out. Hydroplaning can occur at any speed over 70 KM.
I think that SC would have been enough, stopping the race would have been premature (I don't know what the weather conditions were, if there was a chance of it passing or not)
I'd like to think generous crane placement would solve the problem, but given the slim margins that the promoters claim to be taking, there isn't room to spend money on heavy equipment that stays safely behind the barrier walls. Making this a requirement will see many 'classic' venues decide hosting an F1 race isn't worth while. As such, I go back to my idea for the FIA to provide, at their cost, adequate equipment as part of the travelling F1 circus. The only reason the FIA is part of F1 is to ensure that F1 is safe. Anytime F1 isn't safe, that's the FIA's responsibility. Period
-
If the FIA is serious about safety, then they would include the crane rental and any other safety expenses - take them directly out of the race fees. If Bernie won't cough it up, shame him into it.
-
I wonder how many street circuits might not be able to use cranes due to overhead power lines and such.
-
I wonder how many street circuits might not be able to use cranes due to overhead power lines and such.
Overhead power lines are a danger to racing AND cranes. They don't exist anymore in most large European cities - they bury everything. I think on the rare occasion there is one near a circuit race area, they re-direct it for race weekend.
-
Yes, I would have made the right call in his chair, and as I said in my post, it's pouring rain, why do you think it's unlikely to have an accident at the same place?
When has it happened before? You name me a race where a car has gone off at the same corner, at precisely the same trajectory, and has been unlucky enough to hit a recovery vehicle. There is no precedent for it.
You (impersonal pronoun) can sit in your armchair in front of the computer and say that you would have called for the safety car or stopped the race, but that's really easy to do when sitting at home. We could all say that :). Charlie is under pressure from the FIA (who want to see a full race run), Ecclestone (who wants the same, albeit for different reasons), television companies, and even the viewing public. He's not always going to get every decision spot on. You are being way too harsh on one person, and I think that's very unfair.
It's VERY possible, and if the initial cause was a track condition that caused Sutil to aquaplane, then the chance of it happening again is even LIKELY.
To decide within one lap that it's too dangerous to continue is asking a lot. It is not as though it was raining cats and dogs across the entire circuit. It was not raining as intensely as it had been when they red flagged the original start.
You can't just change start times of a GP because a storm is coming in.
Yes, you can.
The forecasts on Friday and Saturday (correctly) predicted that the bulk of the storm would arrive at Suzuka on Monday, and that Sunday would be scattered showers, which is exactly what it was...don't forget most of the race was actually rain-free, just a wet track left over from earlier rain that was still lightly coming down as the race started (which would have fallen on the race if it had been run earlier perhaps?). Like it or not, TV is what pays the bills. It's not just about who can record the race either, thousands of bars and restaurants and their employees depend on the income a 3hr F1 race brings in. The rain wasn't even that bad according to most driver reports, but that part of the track became dangerous obviously.
When you're on the edge of a typhoon with guaranteed heavy rain which will disrupt the race, then changing the start time is reasonable. It's not like showers or bands of rain that we may have, say in Europe, where shifting the start time would not be necessary or sensible. This was a predictable, intense weather event. They need to take action to avoid it. There was a window to run the race earlier, and they chose not to take it. An opportunity missed in my opinion.
Read some comments on the web, The vast majority with an opinion are calling for Whiting's resignation.
Thank you, but no thank you :). There has been quite enough ill informed coverage and writing on various other events in the news today, and I don't wish to read more of it.
In this specific case, I am very upset about what has happened to Bianchi, but to blame one man for it is over the top and unreasonable in my view.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iikUvXPKjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-8FealsfXw
Oh look, Brasil 2003 and Spa 2010. No, there weren't any recovery vehicles to hit...but then that wouldn't have been very sensible.
I won't prolong the argument point by point any more, but I completely disagree that this was not someone's fault. If the part of Charlie's job where he decides if a SC should be called, or a recovery vehicle called, has to do with anything but driver safety, then he's doing the wrong job.
Big recovery tractor vs little F1 car. It should NEVER be even a possibility.
-
I watched the 2003 Grand Prix in Brazil, and that was not typhoon weather. It was very wet. Alonso had a very heavy accident which brought the race to an end, but that occurred because he didn't lift off enough when entering the last section of the track when Webber had crashed.
The problem there was that the tyres they had brought were not suitable for the event. They did not have deep enough treads to clear the water, and that caused the problems.
If you want to argue that tractors shouldn't be used as recovery vehicles, then I'm happy for them to come up with something else at Suzuka instead. However, this shouldn't be the using the safety car more often, as I've said in the other topic.
Finally, there is far too much blame in society in general. Everything always has to be somebody's fault. Why cannot it just be said that it was a very unfortunate racing accident which everyone learns from. Fault finding, especially in situations like this, is an unnecessarily antagonistic and pernicious way of solving problems in my opinion. We all do it from time-to-time, I know I have, but I find that it rarely solves anything.
-
Finally, there is far too much blame in society in general. Everything always has to be somebody's fault. Why cannot it just be said that it was a very unfortunate racing accident which everyone learns from. Fault finding, especially in situations like this, is an unnecessarily antagonistic and pernicious way of solving problems in my opinion. We all do it from time-to-time, I know I have, but I find that it rarely solves anything.
Amen to that. :DD
Sometimes we also have to take responsibility for our own actions, drivers are not always angels on track and in general all of them, give or take one or two of the present F1 grid, accept that motor racing is inherently dangerous.
Funny though how some of the biggest critics of the Japan situation, amongst the current crop of drivers, have put plenty of other drivers at risk with dodgy if not downright dangerous moves. ::)
-
Yes, just like the FIA's finding...all very pragmatic.
Typical FIA: 'We did not make a mistake...Bianchi made a mistake.' |-( |-(
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29573232
-
To me it was just a perfect storm for this particular
race....no matter how well you plan for every imaginable
incident something unimaginable can occur.Racing
is a business and unfortunately bad accidents happen.
-
Beating a dead horse...
The FIA has come up with a cute idea, called a 'Virtual Safety Car'. Isn't that darling. They go on about how, ahem, some drivers slow down to a degree during double waved yellows, others slow down more. They don't want to talk about how much Bianchi slowed down, well, because they don't want to single out a guy in a hospital bed, do they? So they'll come up with an electronic gizmo that will allow them to ensure all cars slow a certain degree. That's great Charlie, but we've all seen rainstorms that cause even the slowest cars to just spin off the track while aqua planing...are you sure the best thing is to NOT ALLOW HEAVY MACHINERY in any possible danger zone, without first calling out the SC. Why not throw that in to the regulations or guidelines that the FIA uses for track management?
Clearly, they assume 0% blame. If they even open the question as to whether they should not have called out the tractor, then I suppose it leads them into taking some responsibility, and we know they aren't very interested in that route. I still maintain that it is 100% the fault of the race director who put a 5 ton (wild guess) tractor on a hot racetrack at an outside turn, in extremely questionable conditions. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN.
Yes, asked what I would have done in that situation as race director, I would have left Sutil's car where it was while getting track reports about conditions and evaluate if a SC was justified. I would not have called for the car to be removed unless the SC was on track. If Bianchi had spiked off and hit Sutil's car in the meantime, it is most likely he would have been uninjured, since the cars are designed to withstand impacts with other cars, but not a tractor.
Really, I just don't get why this isn't the simplist of questions with the simplest of answers. Why bother building such safe barriers if you are going to put a large, heavy, metal object in front of them????
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29581592
-
Time to address the unpopular aspect of Bianchi's crash: gravel traps.
We all saw Sutil's car bounce across the gravel. It did not slow the car at all. Those of us who managed to see Bianchi's crash saw the same thing. There was no friction at all: the gravel trap was worse than useless.
Paved run offs may make for aggressive, consequence free driving in dry conditions, but it may well be a life saver in wet conditions.
-
Just as an aside here, how can FOM claim copyright infringement on fan shot videos? If you shoot video, shouldn't you own the rights to it?
-
Just as an aside here, how can FOM claim copyright infringement on fan shot videos? If you shoot video, shouldn't you own the rights to it?
Presumably if you buy a ticket you are engaging in a contract that does not permit recording of the event.
Now, if you managed to record the race from outside the venue, that would be fair game.
-
If it doesn't say "No Video" on the ticket, or refer you to a terms sheet, it's not a contract.
-
Just as an aside here, how can FOM claim copyright infringement on fan shot videos? If you shoot video, shouldn't you own the rights to it?
Races are not held in public but in private for the purposes of the law, the only exception could be Monaco. As Jeri has already stated if you could film from a public area it would be harder to claim copyright infringement, especially if no monetary gain results from such a video.
It's Just like models and celebrities whose image has a monetary value so you can't use even publically shot photos for advertising or promotional purposes. Video of F1, all the cars, tracks, races and so on have a monetary value as they are sold commercially to broadcasters and news media outlets and any use of such images, however shot, probably are covered by copyright laws.
-
Scott: I'm sure that Charlie Whiting isn't feeling particularly great emotionally. Nothing he has said in his press conference has suggested that he is looking to shirk responsibility. The fact of the matter is, however, that drivers are supposed to slow down dramatically and be prepared to take avoiding action under double waved yellows. I very much doubt that any of them slowed down to that extent, so a proposal to have some kind of delta is not without merit.
Time to address the unpopular aspect of Bianchi's crash: gravel traps.
We all saw Sutil's car bounce across the gravel. It did not slow the car at all. Those of us who managed to see Bianchi's crash saw the same thing. There was no friction at all: the gravel trap was worse than useless.
Paved run offs may make for aggressive, consequence free driving in dry conditions, but it may well be a life saver in wet conditions.
The accident had nothing to do with the gravel. Sutil missed most of the gravel trap, and mainly went across grass and tarmac. It's such a short run off there anyway, and there was no chance that he would have avoided the barrier given the narrow nature of the circuit, so the gravel had nothing to do with any of this.
-
Scott: I'm sure that Charlie Whiting isn't feeling particularly great emotionally. Nothing he has said in his press conference has suggested that he is looking to shirk responsibility. The fact of the matter is, however, that drivers are supposed to slow down dramatically and be prepared to take avoiding action under double waved yellows. I very much doubt that any of them slowed down to that extent, so a proposal to have some kind of delta is not without merit.
If you didn't get a chance to see Bianchi's crash, you can clearly him skip by a green flag. Perhaps the worker had the wrong flag out, but there were no double waved yellows. No way an F1 driver slows for a green flag.
-
How about something like this? the WEC is going ahead with the Slow Zones tested at Le Mans this past summer. The marshal post approaching the scene would have a yellow SLOW board, with cars slowed to 80 kph (about 50 mph). The marshal post prior to that would have a NEXT SLOW board to prepare the drivers. The engine control electronics would enforce the slow down.
http://racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/109800-wec-set-to-use-slow-zones-again
-
Scott: I'm sure that Charlie Whiting isn't feeling particularly great emotionally. Nothing he has said in his press conference has suggested that he is looking to shirk responsibility. The fact of the matter is...
The fact of the matter is, I don't really feel sorry for Charlie, since he's not on life support in a hospital. The fact of the matter is, I haven't once heard anybody from the FIA refer to the timing of calling out the tractor, and the fact of the matter is, I have so far only heard criticism from the FIA about a possible driver mistake (going too fast), with a solution that involves slowing the cars down, but no solution about having the tractor out on a hot track.
-
I still feel that this has to be laid directly at Charlies feet. That is his job and what he is paid for. If he fails or does not want to make those decisions then he should find another job. Period.
I agree with Jeri and would like to see gravel traps come back as they slow cars very fast in a way grass never will.
Yes a car can get stuck and have the race end for them but so what, that's racing. Stay out of the traps.
Long reach cranes are also the answer.
-
I agree with Jeri and would like to see gravel traps come back as they slow cars very fast in a way grass never will.
Sorry Willy, I was suggesting that paved run offs slow cars in wet conditions much better than gravel. Both would be superior to grass.
As a purely 'safe' feature, I prefer paved run off to gravel. Cars can be moved easier by hand, equipment can be brought out quicker, marshalls can move about easier, inverted cars don't sink up to the driver's helmet.
I appreciate that gravel provides better spectacle by punishing mistakes, but pavement is safer.
-
Comments from Jules parents
http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/bianchis-mom-people-shirking-responsibility-after-crash (http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/bianchis-mom-people-shirking-responsibility-after-crash)
Pressure from the FIA/FOM?
http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/father-says-jules-bianchi-could-die-crash-injuries (http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/father-says-jules-bianchi-could-die-crash-injuries)
Sounds rather grim!