DC wants 'fixed rule' for cutting chicanes Tuesday 23rd September 2008-PlanetF1.com As the debate about the retrospective penalty Lewis Hamilton received at Spa continues, David Coulthard believes it is time to introduce "a sensible penalty" for those found guilty of committing such an offence. Hamilton was handed a 25-second penalty after stewards ruled that he gained an unfair advantage when he cut the chicane while overtaking Kimi Raikkonen during the Belgian GP. McLaren have appealed against the ruling and are awaiting the verdict from the International Court of Appeal. Coulthard wrote in his ITV column: "From the drivers' point of view the important thing was to clarify exactly what the rules are regarding gaining an advantage, and we got that clarification at the drivers' briefing on Friday evening (before the Italian GP). "The new rule is that if you miss a corner and pass a car, you must relinquish the position you gained and not attempt to repass until you've gone through the next corner." The Formula One veteran also has a few suggestions on how to deal with the matter. "We should try to ensure there is some tangible penalty for missing corners so that it's a last resort and not an easy option," he wrote. "For example, if you miss the first chicane at Monza you have to drive around a series of polystyrene bollards, and it's slower than if you take the corner. "So people tend not to miss the first chicane very often, whereas they miss the second chicane all the time because it's Tarmac and you can gain an advantage there. "To my mind there should either be polystyrene blocks - which Charlie (Whiting) felt would be difficult to site correctly at Monza's second chicane - or some sort of stop/go box, so that people have a strong incentive to stay on the racetrack. "I do think we need to find a solution along these lines. Difficult as it is to police it, we need to set a fixed rule, have a sensible penalty and then most of these controversial situations would resolve themselves."
If you have gravel traps that close to the track and every 3 laps a car plows through it, the corner would be covered with stones. That idea wouldn't fly.
He's had a pretty long run in F1, am I right? The guy has got to know something and be an asset to a team to still be employed, despite his retirement in 2009? F1 has given him a pretty steady paycheck since 1994, he owns a number of hotels and has dated some pretty nice looking women in his time. He is no Schumi, but his record is nothing to be ashamed of. How many of you would offer up a testicle to have a single F1 win on your resume? He's no Schumi, but he's no Bob The Professional Cubicle Dweller, also. 1994-2008 is a pretty damned good run, in my book.
It looked like DC was one driver who was going to avoid a "SUCKS" thread, but it seems that this is his!
He has been given a free pass too many times. He continually has a larger blind spot than the other F1 drivers when being overtaken. That blind spot has grown over the years and is a liability for any team. He was hired by Red Bull because of his experience, although it is difficult to know for sure exactly what he contributed. He lingered around far too long, but if there is a team willing to pay you, why not go for it? DC did.
with about 6 inches of foam padding would fix the problem.. If you cut the Chicane, you're out of the race... No problem..
Simple solution install Spike strips on the chicane, it would aid in slowing down the driver and give him an instant penalty for cutting the chicane. No more unfair advantage. http://www.securityprousa.com/noname52.html
LOL good one! DC is a $h!thead and I don't like him. At Monza, the drivers were doing the pre-race parade and the interviewer said (after he had asked several others to speak in Italian, much to the crowds delight) "So, David, this is your final race at Monza, this storied and historic track... what memories does this bring up, being your last race here and your last race in Europe". He replied "umm, nothing special, it's a race like any other". nice reply, blockhead.
how about rumble strips. they just need something that will slow any car down that cuts the chicane and the problem will be solved.
I wanna see DC take Mosley's job. At least he has accurate and relevant knowledge as a racing driver.
Thus why street circuits are successful in their own way. You make a mistake, your race is over. On the other hand, these types of resolutions result in a lack of passing and passing is the most entertaining form of watching a race.
Perhaps high rumble strips that "strip" the car of bits and peices when it passes over? Perhaps holes that way no shreds get on to the racing track to damage tires and the suspension gets a real beating instead? How about a drive through when all 4 wheels leave the track in a chicane? Unless there's a wreck in front of you, you had better make ALL possible attempts at FOLLOWING the turn before just deciding to slice the turn in half.
Who should know more about chicanes than a human moving version? But DC actually makes sense. Since chicanes are an obvious, unfortunate fixture now in F1 tracks, they need to be designed in a way that eliminates this argument all together.
I agree with DC in that the rules should be more clear and that penalties be more sensible. Where I do disagree with many of the posts is in the following: 1. Trashing DC's opinion because you don't like him does not make it any less valid. There are lots of people I can't stand but I can still learn from them if I take their opinion objectionably. I believe DC is well positioned to make an opinion as he is a current F1 driver with a lot of experice. Also he is not returning next year so his comments are less likely to be tainted with self-serving motives as is the norm in F1. 2. All comments with regards to making chicanes with walls, spike strips, or anything else that ends a driver's race shows a very short sighted approach to the problem. If there is a race ending penalty for a driver you will see even less passing, less action, and generally more caution. Races are already under huge pressure to produce more passing and this would not help the situation. In addition to this the F1 grid is very thin with only 20 cars. Regardless of position, any battle is good for the spectators and good for the sport. No one wants to see 8-10 cars going around. For this reason I also think that it is poor for cars not to have on board starters or to not be allowed a bump start to keep them in the race. If F1 were really competitive, a stall would scrap the chances of victory anyways so the time in getting the engine going is penalty enough. F1 needs to look at solutions that are in the best interest of keeping the spectacle good and the entertainment high for the fans. By this I don't mean fixing the results in order to keep the championship (not capitlaized on purpose) alive to the last race.
