Two Ideas for F1 - following Japan:

I am sure this is nothing that hasn't been said before - but here goes:

1) - The FIA is going to HAVE to reconsider the scheduling of the Japan race to get it out of Tsunami season (duh!) and perhaps put at the early part of the eastern schedule. I.E. -
maybe third or fourth race of the year in the spring.

The track they have is first class, but it does not work for the sport in a hurricane.

2) - The FIA is going to HAVE to review many rules (including red flag, race start, pit lane versus pit start, following the safety car, equipment on track, yellow flags, etc. etc. after the Bianchi crash which was the icing on the cake of the fiasco that was Japan 2014...

That crash is the only mainstream news publicity that F1 got over the last half of this year.

Is this what we want???

 

Wow! - I hadn't realised that a seismic sea wave had hit Suzuka! - As that's what a Tsunami actually is!

If you think that weather was bad, don't ever visit the UK! - Our rain will scare the s:censored:t out of you!

 

OK, maybe not Tsunami - but I think you see my point...

 

It's been nice this year, what yer on about...

 

I have pulled this from the other thread, it bears some resemblance to this thread.

 

Ian's view and counter view on it.

 

Has it already been reported here how Bianchi was travelling at 212 km/h when he crashed, seen from the official formula 1 app replay?

 

It raised the crane (I estimate at least 20,000 lbs) up off its wheels about 4 feet high. I do not see how this could be possible at much lass than that speed.

Let me get the thread back on track - when is the FIA going to realize that there is far too much rain at the Japan GP and adjust the schedule to get this great track back into a reasonably dry day to have the race?

This is my reason for opening this thread.

James

 

I think the people working or volunteering at Suzuka were total idiots sorry to say.

After having watched some of the FPs, they took forever to clear the cars when it was sunny! Some of the people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Remember S. Korea? How long did they take to get the fire out on the Red Bull?

Really I think they need better training overall.

 

Certainly that is an issue as well.

But again - my primary topic is: Why not move this race into the dry season?

 

Tell it to Bernie, the point I made earlier in yet another thread I think, and in fact in years gone by, it is done and run to suit the european TV watching times and freight costs when over in that area, I assume.

 

And just another (tragic) side point:

If it was not really raining "all that hard" - then why could they not helicopter Bianchi to the hospital = they could not because it was raining too hard for the heli to take off. They had to send him in a land ambulance which took at least 30 minutes.

Sorry, but these guys need to rethink this whole race structure.

It was a fiasco - not a race.

 

I don't think many of your points are accurate. The helicopter could fly (and did takeoff), but car transport was faster/safer given the tracks very close proximity to the hospital (17km if I remember right). The cloud layer at the hospital was the only concern with the helicopter flying, not the rain or clouds at the track.

It wasn't raining all that hard. Almost everyone was on inters. Clearly they've driven in worse, and will continue to drive in worse, rain conditions.


Mark

 

So you LIKE this race to be held again and again in downpour conditions?

 

Yes. And other races too (but that wasn't the point of my post). I think racing in the rain is part of F1. Just like I think playing football in bad weather is part of football. Just like I think taking out the catcher is part of baseball (even though it's now outlawed).


Mark

 

+1 to all, with the quick caveat that I don't believe there was any problem for the chopper at the hospital either..... As has been noted by a doc (somewhere, seems we've got more threads on this topic than is healthy right now!) who ran a chopper EMS for a while, there's big danger in moving critical patients that way. Almost certainly faster, with a police escort, for the 14-15kms involved, to go by road.....

How many of, say, the previous 10 Japanese GP's have been wet?

Regards,
Ian

 

+1 on both of your statements. Racing in rain is one thing I love about F1.

And the chance that there's going to be a Typhoon or Hurricane at the same time a race is scheduled is highly unlikely. It's more likely to rain than one of those occurring. And BTW, when the race comes to Texas it is still technically hurricane season so should that change too?

There was a freak sudden storm that broke out on Monday in Houston with winds of 60+MPH, which was much worse than the weather at the track on Sunday. That can happen during the middle of any race, which is just as likely as hurricane/typhoon...very small.

The only thing to ensure any injuries or accidents never happen is to simply quit racing. This is extremely tragic and little is still known about what exactly happened, but just as when anything happens people begin jumping off the deep end provide absurd opinions on changes that should be made.

In the end, it's up to the drivers to say they feel conditions are too dangerous and Hamilton is already quoted as saying he's raced in worse conditions.

 

Well stated! Sky diving has infinitely more dangerous opportunities, but you never hear about it until something goes wrong. Predictably, everyone gets up in arms about the sport's inherent danger for a few months before things settle down.

American football players will get hurt, basketball players destroy their knees, and F1 drivers crash. Those are realities that are part of the sport, yet the people participating keep coming back.

 

A result of Japan - Good news I think!

Bianchi crash could lead to Malaysia race start time change - Pitpass.com

 

that's the thing that really needed to happen. Over the last few years the Japanese and Malaysian GP have been threatened a few too many times due to bad weather and it's ability to continue later on due to the sun going down.

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I'm not convinced by the ''virtual safety car'' either. It's been put in practise a few times now in other series, such as the 24h Dubai last week (called code 60, all cars must keep to 60kp/h). Having the same in F1 will absolutely kill interest if they bring it out anywhere near as frequent as they did in that race, and for as long. Rather do it for the sector it's in...

 

It was the initial time those days. at 3 pm. Then as usual Bernie tried to mess things up for a later start to satisfy the European fan base without even having a clue of our weather here.

The problem with Malaysia is the heat. Earlier start means hotter, and even I have skipped a few races because it's unbearable.

 

More earlier start times - Five 2015 Grands Prix listed with one-hour earlier start times than in 2014 | Sky Sports