GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: John S on May 22, 2021, 10:21:56 PM
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Without laying any blame for Leclerc, or other Quali limiting shunts, is it time for F1 to tidy up the rules and delete the best time in the session for anyone who brings out the red flag in Quali sessions?
An alternative could be 5 mins extra time added to any Quali session affected by a red flag, plus an extra set of softs to remaining competitors if it happens in Q3. This would give time & boots for the others to reset and go again thus levelling the playing field.
What's anyone think?
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Adding extra time to give everyone a fair chance
seems fair
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Extra time isn't an option at most tracks due to the propensity to run feeder formula races after F1 qualifying.
Automatically deleting the fastest lap punishes people who are trying to improve their lap time. It seems the penalty for that is already high enough...
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I have always felt that adding time would be the most reasonable solution. For once I do not fully agree with Ali, in F1 they have loads of available time - generally the only time limitation is fitting in with the TV schedules. I think they could easily add enough time for 4 to 5 extra laps on Q3.
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Maybe something similar to NASCAR's green-white-checkers "overtime." An out lap, a battery charger lap, an all-out dash & an in lap.
I don't think the TV broadcasters would care for it, though. They like nice, dependable scheduling.
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Part of F1 (and racing in general) is taking risks. It could rain. A part could break. A session could get red flagged. You want to wait for the last minute to set your time? That means you've accepted the risks.
As for penalizing anyone who causes a red flag, only if they've clearly done something wrong. Proving wrong doing is tough, of course. It took years for Piquet Jr's story to come out, so I wouldn't hold your breath.
Naturally if Q3 red flags become common, then something has to be done, but who here is surprised there aren't MORE crashes during Monaco qualifying?
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Well it seems FIA is going to discuss with teams possible introduction of best lap time loss for drivers who cause red flag stoppages in Quali.
https://www.racefans.net/2021/05/26/f1-will-consider-intelligent-indycar-rule-in-wake-of-leclerc-crash/
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I have always felt that adding time would be the most reasonable solution. For once I do not fully agree with Ali, in F1 they have loads of available time - generally the only time limitation is fitting in with the TV schedules. I think they could easily add enough time for 4 to 5 extra laps on Q3.
Usually, F2, F3 or another series is scheduled to run within 45 minutes of qualifying ending. Part of that time has to be spent checking the track (20 minutes is the typical requirement) and 15 minutes is spent setting up the next session (20-30 if it's a race). This makes the turnaround quite tight - 4-5 laps is 8-10 minutes, not including the amount of time spent sorting out the red flag. (Of course, some of the flyaway tracks in countries with little motorsport culture don't have much in the way of support series, and there such a measure would be feasible). Most race organisers insist on a certain intensity of track usage because that increases the number of spectators through the gate.
TV schedules are a problem, but not as much of a problem than sheer intensity of track use.
(Another issue is the tyres: for anyone who'd started a fast lap when the red flag came out, they'd have to use an extra set of tyres. Since teams optimise for 2 runs in Q3 anyway, and Pirelli refuses to carry more tyres "just in case" than necessary since the FIA doesn't pay them extra to do it, all you'll get is most teams not using the extra time allowance due to being out of tyres).
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Might I suggest an alternative to either deleting the time/s of an offender or allowing more session time. Just give a 5 place grid drop to anyone bringing out the red flag in Quali sessions. This could be ameliorated by folding the penalty into any other penalties, i.e. grid drops for gearbox replacement, so a 10 place drop would trump the 5 place and not be added to it.
At least we could start the race with another car on pole spot if the leading car drops it in Q3 holding the best time. Not perfect I grant - but at least it sort of levels the playing field.
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I'm not convinced that it levels anything, but that is an improvement over the other changes proposed.