Kimi Raikkonen struggled through the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in more ways than one, according to reports. The reigning world champion was off-colour at Sakhir, as he was outperformed all weekend at the desert venue by his Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa. The Finn argued that he simply did not get the setup of his Ferrari right, and it is true that he is not a fan of the Bahrain layout. But the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell claims that Raikkonen also struggled physically, with an ear infection. Raikkonen also encountered a dose of bad luck, when Ferrari's novel new pitstop lights system - which has replaced the more common 'lollipop man' - didn't function well during his first stop. At recent races, a series of LED lights, mounted horizontally on the team's pitlane gantry, informs the Ferrari drivers when it is time to exit the pits. The 'green' light is apparently triggered automatically with the removal of the fuelling hose. "There was a problem with the system, so it took a bit longer, but it didn't change much," Raikkonen insists.
I think this is not a good system because what will happen when the fuelling hose is removed but one of the tires isn't fixed yet? Or if another car is coming down the pit lane?
One would hope that they still have a guy watching the pit lane traffic. I don't think I've ever seen a pit stop where the fuel guys were done before the tyres.
The problem with the tires being done first can easily be fixed. For instance, there can be a team member on the pitwall or at the garage entrance who hits a button to arm the system when the tire change is done. The auto fuel green light doesn't work until then.
