TBK-Light.com

You could track it with GPS yes but then how will the marshalls supposed to gain that information without distracting their attention away from what is happening on track? Actually, how do marshalls keep abreast of lap charts, what cars to wave blue flags to, etc... now?

Now that DRS is around, it really shouldn't be too hard for a frontrunner to get past a backmarker, especially taking into account the difference in car speeds in the first place, so maybe the blue flag rule should be relaxed a bit.

It certainly makes American racing a bit more exciting as traffic comes into play and dealing with the lapped traffic is as much as a skill a leader needs as pulling a lead in the first place.
There have been many classic oval races where a pass has been made by the car in second pinning the leader behind a backmarker, etc.
Seems to be a lost art in F1, sadly.

That said, under the current rules Maldanado was a blind arse yesterday and Barrichello too badly held up Hamilton on his outlap (only really caught on the on-board channel though) so I don't know what the Williams guys were playing at.

I guess the blue flag penalties we saw yesterday are just an additional stone to the trend we're seeing since a couple years: pilots are penalized for being clumsy.

In 15 years of watching F1, penalties were only ever used for blatantly deliberate bad behaviour and continuous trolling/breaching of the rules on-track. Not for driving errors or general stupidity, which strikes every driver every now and then, and may affect other racers as well.

This is stupid.

You know they'll have gone too far when they get all DTM and blue flag those who are on different strategy to the leaders.

IE Leader pits, comes out behind Kobayashi who hasn't pitted, Kobayashi gets blue flagged despite being on the same lap.

Worst officials ever.

Now if that ever happened I'd instantly stop watching.

Not a bad idea to have 5 flags, but the 1s might not work because of the closing speed say of a Red Bull and an HRT.

On the grid, you have several close allegiances between teams that disregarding blue flags would be a bad idea. You have STR & Ricciardo who would receive brownie points from Marko if they hindered Red Bull's rivals. Similarly, Sergio Perez is part of Ferrari's academy. I'm not saying they would do it, but in the past we've seen the Toro Rosso's be slightly more helpful to Red Bull than McLaren or Ferrari...

However, you shouldn't instantly penalise people for holding up the slower cars. There needs to be leverage. Surely its the perfect time for, in this penalty ridden world, a driver to receive a reprimand. Then that would 'help' the 3 reprimands = 5 place penalty.

Because drivers get penalised in qualifying, usually a reprimand or even a straight 5 place drop, for holding up a faster driver, yet the punishment is more severe in the race. A reprimand would be suitable. I don't know why it was so bad on Sunday; several drivers seemed to be clueless.

_________________
Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

If they're fast enough to having to deal with backmarkers, they should be fast enough to be able to pass them on track like any other car. Just have rules to prevent blocking.

But you can be 10s a lap faster, if you are behind him in a long sequence of corners there is no way to pass without the help of the car in front.

finally a photo has popped up showing what happened to Sebs tyre.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Lame
Especially because it was still light at the time

jajajajaja

A bit like Norberto Fontana in his Ferrari powered Sauber at the 1997 Jerez GP after holding up Villeneuve?

then build proper racetracks without "sequences of corners" instead of the shit tracks we have now.

I don't think anybody will disagree on this

Such as the Esses at Suzuka or Maggotts/Becketts at Silverstone. Most of Monaco.

Yeah, shitty tracks indeed.

_________________
Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

So, Avus is the only suitable track for the F1 calender then?

I never meant those. Those are fast, exiting corners. I was talking more of the 2nd half of Abu Dhabi and shit like that.

Well yeah, but the whole argument doesn't stand up. Getting back to the point, there's nothing wrong with the blue flag rules, but in penalising people you need consistency. Which, as ever, is the annoying point of stewarding.

And with Abu Dhabi, I find it a horrible track but on racing sims its quite fun. Odd.

_________________
Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Tracks that are designed with a ruler is the problem. Like the 2nd half of Abu Crappi. There's only one line through them.

News on Vettel's tyre
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96257

_________________
Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011