F1: The pinnacle of Safety Car strategy

[Knock-on]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69875

Getting a bit silly if you ask me.

[Dave B]

Agreed. It used to be quite a refreshing change with a freak incident threw up a surprise result, it was maybe only once a year and never really affected the championship. Recently though it's becoming too common recently and risks turning the whole thing into a farce. When you get the likes of Force India actively incorporating a SC period into their strategy you know it's time for a change.

[ShiftingGears]

Have stupid rules and you get stupid consequences.

[Ranger]

Agreed. It used to be quite a refreshing change with a freak incident threw up a surprise result, it was maybe only once a year and never really affected the championship.
At least then it was mostly decided on track by collisions, spins or weather, not by silly pitlane rules.

[Nikki Katz]

I think that they should change the rules back to how they were before. The only incident I can think of of an accident while everyone was rushing back to the pits was Alonso at Brazil '04 (which I still think he should've been disqualified from), and they didn't change the safety car rules until, um, last year??? There's no need for closing the pit lane unless cars are actually passing the exit at the time and I just think that it's obscuring real results, much too much of a penalty on those that have stayed out slightly longer.

[wedge]

Agreed. It used to be quite a refreshing change with a freak incident threw up a surprise result, it was maybe only once a year and never really affected the championship. Recently though it's becoming too common recently and risks turning the whole thing into a farce. When you get the likes of Force India actively incorporating a SC period into their strategy you know it's time for a change.

You could almost say the same thing about wet races. There's an element of luck involved.

For sure, the current pit open/closed rules aren't very good but ATM it is what it is and racing its all about maximising your opportunities

I'm in two minds. I understand the criticisms but SC periods is an unknown variable because you can never predict exactly when you'll get one and its down to the team to think on its feet, which Ferrari hasn't been too good at over the past year or so.

[speeddurango]

People moan when race is a procession, and when race is spiced up people moan the race is not a procession, uuh, it's hard to please people these days.

[ShiftingGears]

People moan when race is a procession, and when race is spiced up people moan the race is not a procession, uuh, it's hard to please people these days.

That is because it is hard to find a formula that is spectacular and entertaining without being contrived or manipulated.

[markabilly]

Pitstops and safety cars, the key determinates to an exciting race....why don't they just go ahead and put in a "no passing another car at anytime while both cars are on the track" rule and eliminate all the frustration over no passing....and have a couple of "at random" safety car periods at every race to shuffle the deck???

[jens]

People moan when race is a procession, and when race is spiced up people moan the race is not a procession, uuh, it's hard to please people these days.

People moan about artificial methods and fairness of racing. For example, if we had a rule that the starting grid will be determined by reversed WDC standings, then surely this would spice things up, but should we be happy about such rules, which unfairly punish front runners?

[harsha]

why can't the grid order be freezed during a safety car period :?:

[MAX_THRUST]

I used to watch CART alot back in the day and they messed about with safety car rules, and for me the best one was what they had on the street and road courses. When the Yellow comes out pitts are open, depending where on the track you are depends on how lucky you are.

You are more likely to benefit from a safety car than loose out, as it is only the leadr who trully looses out. Pitts should remain open unless blocked or Fire.

The safety CAr should pick up the leader of the race after the first turn, so if everyone dives in the pitts except 10th place and he takes the lead, well then he's the leader, everyone else cues up behind, why make it complicated.

[Knock-on]

why can't the grid order be freezed during a safety car period :?:

There is no reason that the cars cannot be given 10 seconds warning of a safety period and the revs reduced to 5000 RPM automatically after this period.