Safety concerns over tyres used in F1 - Spoilers

Some people tape these races, could you change the title?

 

Good point. Title changed.

CRG125: Thanks for the post otherwise. Interesting read.

 

Here's what Todt has to say:
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=24662

If you read between the lines Bridgestone/Ferrari have opted for a conservative tire choice. Safer, but not quicker.

 

IMO the no tire changing really has taken some of the excitement out of F1.

Remember those races where a wheel nut was not on properly, and how it costs the one of the leading drivers the race. I sure as hell do, they were damn exciting.


Bring back tire changing, but maybe only limit it to once per race.

And you start with the tires you qualifyed with. I think that is a compromise of both theories.

 

The start of F1 spliting into two series

The GPWC becomes complete spec series with nascaresque drama! spec tires are just the start!

Ferrari sticking to F1 and other factory based teams joing in to insure real motorsport racing!

 

Kimi made at least two mistakes on Sunday; flat spotting his tire and deciding not to change it. If his wheel was loose he would have the same choice to make. There is much more excitement now that tires can't be changed but I could live with the old rules if they didn't allow tires AND fuel to be changed on the same stop. Drivers' aids are what is ruining racing and today's tires are just as much a driver's aid as traction control. Let's put the race back into the driver's hands.

 

After Kimi this past weekend this rule will be gone soon

 

I think it is Mosley who wanted it this way, I think the GPWC would be much more open than the way Mosley reacts.

 

Good point and probably true: For the people, by the people.

The issue I see with GPWC is whether they will ever find consensus. Basically a bunch of egoists fighting over the biggest piece of cake. Current system is a benevolent (?) dictator running the show.

 

As much as I think Eccelstone is a little Napoleon, I think if he had Mosley's job the F1 racing would be much more exciting.

 

I think you're right about that.

Problem is, that it would unify power in one person. Ecclestone is getting old and who knows how long he'll be around. So you're rolling the dice on his successor.

In horror do I think back on the Balestre days. That monopolistic power and its crazy decisions called for a counterpart and spurred Bernie into action as the head of FOCA. The pirate races were the outcome. I never want to have to endure that time: GP of Italy with Ferrari vs Alfa vs Renault.

 

Yes but Balestre was really a joy to watch. I mean did you ever see a press conference with him? He would slam his fist on a table and his face would get all contorted. The best was when he rode roller skates in the pits in Brasil with the Transvestite and he didn't have a clue. To really make the Brasilians happy he gave a welcome speech in Spanish. He was an idiot but a lot more fun than Mosley.

 

ROTFLMAO

Never heard the Brazilian stories, thanks. Only read about his Mussoliniesque appearances at press conferences. He didn't even realize what a clown he made out of himself.

 

IIRC, Kimi first flat-spotted the tire before his final pitstop and so I suppose that, under the old rules, he would have had the tire changed and therefore would not have had the problem.

Under the new rules, they still could have changed the tire at the regularly scheduled pit stop on safety reasons, but that was probably considered risky at that point since the tire wasn't vibrating too badly then. McLaren probably reasoned that Charlie Whiting (?) might not agree that the tire was unsafe and thus would penalize them.

Later of course, the tire got worse, either from additional flat-spotting or just the continued uneven wear from an unbalanced tire. At this stage it probably was clear that the FIA would accept that the tire was unsafe but Kimi/McLaren gambled on staying out in order to avoid an extra pit stop.

Kimi had to realize that the worsening vibration was putting his suspension at risk and so he gambled and lost. I would guess that most competitive drivers would have made the same decision.

Running on bad tires was a common occurence in the 50's when tire durability was poor and pit stops were much longer. Lots of drivers paid the price for not wanting to pit and staying out too long. I don't like the current one set of tires rule, but everyone is dealing with the same rules. It was Kimi's mistake that caused the flat spot in the first place and the team's decision to keep running.

When this rule was first announced, I suggested that the pitlane mechanics all would begin carrying ice picks in their overall pockets so that there would be no question that the tire was bad when they changed it. Maybe they should think about doing that!

John

 

Just for the record: Massa had a similar issue and decided to pit. Actually the team made the decision for him. And before somebody brings up, that he wasn't competing for the title: He lost good points, which is really all Sauber drives for.

 

True, maximizing points is the goal of every team, and the smarter teams try to calculate the risks of their decisions and the probable outcome. Clearly McLaren made the wrong decision, who knows if Sauber did. Maybe he could have stayed out and finished with the higher points.

That's why those guys get paid well.

John