The lack of start accidents

[jens]

Now this is something I have wondered about and I would like to get a good answer to. Why has the amount of start accidents reduced significantly in the last few years? I don't mean small tangles in the midfield with 2-3 cars involved, but I mean bigger pile-ups with at least 5-6 cars involved and/or collisions among frontrunners (the most recent accidents that measure up to one or another condition, are USA '06, GER '03, AUS'02, GER'01, etc, etc). Also we haven't had a restarted race since... 2001 Germany.

I can remember several races, when Schumacher was eliminated on Lap1, but has Alonso ever had a race-ending accident on Lap1?

I can suggest about two reasons that have reduced the losses especially among front runners significantly especially after 2003:
1) Points system, which force to take the first lap more easily and take less risks?
2) Tarmac runoffs, which create more space to avoid creating or getting involved in a crash.

What else?

[N. Jones]

Don't know but wasn't this year's Germany/European GP restarted?

[luvracin]

Traction Control : - everybody gets a good launch which reduces the chances you have to make suicide avoidance moves to get around someone who got off the line badly.
- Stalls are also reduced because they don't need to worry about feathering throttle/clutch, they just rev the piss out of the engine and dump the clutch, then the TC takes care of it.

[Flat.tyres]

Now this is something I have wondered about and I would like to get a good answer to. Why has the amount of start accidents reduced significantly in the last few years? I don't mean small tangles in the midfield with 2-3 cars involved, but I mean bigger pile-ups with at least 5-6 cars involved and/or collisions among frontrunners (the most recent accidents that measure up to one or another condition, are USA '06, GER '03, AUS'02, GER'01, etc, etc). Also we haven't had a restarted race since... 2001 Germany.

I can remember several races, when Schumacher was eliminated on Lap1, but has Alonso ever had a race-ending accident on Lap1?

I can suggest about two reasons that have reduced the losses especially among front runners significantly especially after 2003:
1) Points system, which force to take the first lap more easily and take less risks?
2) Tarmac runoffs, which create more space to avoid creating or getting involved in a crash.

What else?

I suppose we all like a good prang if nobody is hurt.

problem is that today it is more boardroom than race track. The last 4 fighters that really went for it were JPM, MS, TS and LH.

We wont get many more starts like Spa for a while while the FIA and money men hold the reigns.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-7t8raI4kq8

[nigelred5]

They have so heavily revised many of the tracks with the tight first turns that there is just more room to take avoiding action.

I think the qualifying procedures of the last few years have also ensured the fastest cars are up front. With the parc ferme rules regarding race set-ups, race fuel weights and the lask of sticky qually rubber, the grid is almost a given week to week if you ask me. There was a time when a team with a superb driver with some really large tackle could REALLY trim it out on sticky qualifying tires and throw down a lap they had no hope in hades of maintaining in a race. It got them up front, but they probably didn't belong up there. I also just don't see the raw emotion in the drivers any more, so we rarely see drivers willing to really go for it like a Senna, Prost, Namsell, Piquet did. It's generally a stupid mistake that causes the accident these days, not overt agression. Traction control and launch control have also made the starts a game of engine output and software application, not skill and testosterone. The cars are so fast off the line and into that first turn, there's sometimes hardly time for the pack to really get all twisted up. Thery are spread out already by the time they converge at the first braking point

The curent Quallys are made for the show on saturday and not much else.

[ShiftingGears]

Tarmac runoff is a big factor - its basically an extension of the racetrack. If the guardrail was still at La Source, Alonso could've triggered a big accident there. Also launch control is a factor I suppose.

[tinchote]

Traction Control : - everybody gets a good launch which reduces the chances you have to make suicide avoidance moves to get around someone who got off the line badly.
- Stalls are also reduced because they don't need to worry about feathering throttle/clutch, they just rev the piss out of the engine and dump the clutch, then the TC takes care of it.

I think that's the biggest factor.

[leopard]

Was there any difference between this year's and previous year's TC, banning TC next year may bear a risk of more accident race if so.

I think besides Tarmac runoff and modification made for the sake of safety, all front runners relatively have better control on the car, and drive with more maturity that winning the race is not only overtaking but the comprehensive strategy determines more to win the race and the title.

The lack of accident doesn't mean the lack interesting of the race, two collisions made by Massa and Alonso were evidence that Alonso, not sure Massa, has better emotion control not to force overtaking and would be better avoiding the accident and running the car at the tarmac or even out for the gravel.

[wmcot]

I agree that the lack of first corner incidents along with the rev-limited engines that never blow up has certainly taken a bit of suspense from the races. How many times has your driver been leading or doing well and you were on the edge of your seat hoping his engine would hold out this year vs. past years?

[Schnell]

Traction Control : - everybody gets a good launch which reduces the chances you have to make suicide avoidance moves to get around someone who got off the line badly.
- Stalls are also reduced because they don't need to worry about feathering throttle/clutch, they just rev the piss out of the engine and dump the clutch, then the TC takes care of it.

What a load of rubbish!

[Flat.tyres]

What a load of rubbish!

I think his points were poorly formulated but they do have some validity.

Historically, stalls were more commonplace and did result in incidents and LC does tend to move the field forward in a more uniform fashion.

Perhaps it's not the be all and end off of it but may have contributed to less start line incidents.