R.I.P. wet weather F1 racing

[Born Racer]

Why fanny around for so many laps under the safety car?

[Al Weyman]

I Bet after the race we just witnessed you wished you had never posted that lol!

[MagnetON]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

I Bet after the race we just witnessed you wished you had never posted that lol!

+1 Like!

[Super Hans]

I loved the race, but it does seem odd that the SC only comes in when the track is fit for intermediates. It makes one wonder why they bother having full wets at all.

[Born Racer]

I don't.

It was a thrilling finale, but my point remains. It seems you are no longer allowed to have wet races on anything other than a damp track.

Tooling round behind the safety car for ages is a waste of laps. Yes, circumstances meant we got an excellent end to the Grand Prix, but how does that change my point?

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

It was a thrilling finale, but my point remains. It seems you are no longer allowed to have wet races on anything other than a damp track.

Tooling round behind the safety car for ages is a waste of laps. Yes, circumstances meant we got an excellent end to the Grand Prix, but how does that change my point?

(Hurt your finger, Born Racer?)

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

(Hurt your finger, Born Racer?)

Someone has finally got "The Finger".

[ralf fan]

He's right though. Korea last year set a precedent. I said at the time that the Korean GP 2010 was the death of the full wet race and it seems I was right.

They should've not started behind the SC. The SC should've been in atleast 5 laps before it did on the 2nd restart. As DC and Brundle kept saying, these are the best drivers out there. Lets see them race.

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

He's right though. Korea last year set a precedent. I said at the time that the Korean GP 2010 was the death of the full wet race and it seems I was right.

They should've not started behind the SC. The SC should've been in atleast 5 laps before it did on the 2nd restart. As DC and Brundle kept saying, these are the best drivers out there. Lets see them race.

This says it all really.

SC start was bull****, and the dozens of laps tooling around behind the SC whilst it was "too wet" was bull**** too.

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

This says it all really.

SC start was bull****, and the dozens of laps tooling around behind the SC whilst it was "too wet" was bull**** too.

Can't argue with that

[Fox89]

No I agree on this fully. Starting under the SC was ridiculous in my view. I will perhaps forgive it because they've not run these tyres in earnest before so didn't know what to expect. But still there was way too much safety car time. If you're going to leave it out for 20 laps why not just throw the red flag then and there?

And one lap after it came in we had drivers pitting for inters. Heck, D'Ambrosio followed it in! That's just stupid, the SC should have been in at least 5 laps earlier.

[garcon]

Charlie was arguably over cautious today, but he probably saved (most of) the teams a small fortune in carbon fibre bits.

It's a difficult call, which needs to include consideration of the proximity of the barriers, no wet weather running all weekend, very little knowledge on the performance of the tyres, most/all of the cars set up for dry conditions at the start of the race, etc. etc.

In the end we got a great spectacle, and maybe avoided some expensive carnage.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by garcon

Charlie was arguably over cautious today, but he probably saved (most of) the teams a small fortune in carbon fibre bits.

But how much television revenue did they lose? And if contracts made them not lose a pennny, others did and will get revenge.

[Flavio Galtieri]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

But how much television revenue did they lose? And if contracts made them not lose a pennny, others did and will get revenge.

I think this is exactly why Rupert and James Murdoch must watch F1 racing and think that they could not only do a better job but also make a fortune.

Whilst I accept Mr. Whiting's job includes looking after the safety of the drivers what is obviously lacking is any input from somebody interested in "the show", which is after all paying the lion's share of their salaries.

The Safety car start was ridiculous and if it's too dangerous when it rains red flag it straight away don't have the absurd spectacle of some of the most highly paid and talented drivers in the world trundling around at 60 mph line astern.

I imagine people switched channels in droves, their mistake as it turned out, but I bet the ratings were destroyed.

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by Flavio Galtieri

I think this is exactly why Rupert and James Murdoch must watch F1 racing and think that they could not only do a better job but also make a fortune.

Whilst I accept Mr. Whiting's job includes looking after the safety of the drivers what is obviously lacking is any input from somebody interested in "the show", which is after all paying the lion's share of their salaries.

The Safety car start was ridiculous and if it's too dangerous when it rains red flag it straight away don't have the absurd spectacle of some of the most highly paid and talented drivers in the world trundling around at 60 mph line astern.

I imagine people switched channels in droves, their mistake as it turned out, but I bet the ratings were destroyed.

I switched channels but kept an eye out for the restart using that new fangled device the remote control- what's so difficult about that?

And whilst the broadcasters need input, they should NEVER have input that may affect the safety of the race. Which is the specific reasons why the SC was used so much.

Nobody here can really comment accurately as we were not in the cars, and the view from the visor is very different from the view from the camera. I would imagine the problem is not the grip from the tyres and whether they work or not, but more to do with visibility. If you cannot see, you cannot race, even if you are the best in the world - its too dangerous. Simple as that.

That said, they were maybe a bit overcautious and the SC could have come in a couple of laps earlier.

[Spudgun]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Nobody here can really comment accurately as we were not in the cars, and the view from the visor is very different from the view from the camera. I would imagine the problem is not the grip from the tyres and whether they work or not, but more to do with visibility. If you cannot see, you cannot race, even if you are the best in the world - its too dangerous. Simple as that.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was wasn't for the precedent that has been set over x number of years previously. Bringing out the safety car used to be the exception when things got REALLY bad, and even then it was for the majority of cases when cars were aquaplaning off the road rather than being down to visibility. Now it seems to be the rule. Drivers dealt with spray in the past so why not now?

The red flag was of course justified once the rain got as bad as it did, but starting the under the safety car and staying out as long as it did after the restart was just ludicrous. They were ready for inters within a couple of laps of the safety car coming in after the restart! Something is wrong here.

[Ingsy]

Originally Posted by garcon

most/all of the cars set up for dry conditions at the start of the race, etc. etc.

The race was declared a wet race before the off, if I remember rightly? It seems a bit odd that all they could do is change tyres. I know that cars are in parc ferme after qualifying, but if there's a change of weather, surely they should have 10 mins to set the car up for the wet? At least then the race may have been able to start properly?

[paddy]

I agree. Totally over the top with the safety car today. We will have to stop racing in Britain if those conditions weren't safe! It was a great race in the end but the safety car start was ridiculous.

[Lennon]

Safety car driver had the biggest fun of the race.

[Spudgun]

It was a spectacular race in the end, but I do think the SC was over the top. In the past it seems bringing the SC out for rain was a rarity when things got absolutely extreme, but it seems to be becoming the norm which is worrying.

In the end it was right to red flag it, but I was alarmed at how fast the SC came out after it started to rain. Also on the restart there was practically a dry line forming when it came in.

With blown this and blown that it seems that the reliance on aero is even more extreme despite the measures they have tried to bring in to kerb it. The cars need to have more mechanical grip if they are that undriveable after a bit of rain.

[ujoint]

How much safety is too much? They should race in the rain. Aren't they called rain tires?

[AUSRSR]

Yeh I don't think the extreme wets are that extreme at all..

[MikeManNZ]

Well for me it SUCKED.

Two laps at race speed and then I had to go to work

Did not find out the result until late in the day and now wish I had not and could watch the replay tonight!!!

[cerdic]

Absolutely agree about the over-use of the safety car.

If the cars are that undriveable in the wet then the cars should be changed. All they need to do is say to the teams that races will not be stopped or SC'ed in the rain. It would be up to the teams to design something that works in all kinds of weather conditions. If they don't and they aquaplane off the track - well tough you won't win the race.

Bet the teams would find a solution pretty quick!

[wnut]

Charlie did exactly the right thing!

Any other decision would have been TOTAL STUPIDITY!