Safety Car Start Robs British Grand Prix of Potential Drama and Excitement

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 10, 2016

commentComment        

After experimenting with standing starts in 2013 and 2014, IndyCar reverted exclusively to safer rolling starts in 2015.

Formula One, in contrast, has always used standing starts. That said, there have been a handful of exceptions—including Sunday's British Grand Prix—where the track was deemed too wet and races started behind the safety car.

The decision to start the British Grand Prix behind the safety car made the race more predictable and robbed the event of much of its drama and excitement. One of The Sun's headlines called it the "dullest launch in history."

As the race began (sort of), Sky Sports' David Croft informed viewers that it was just the 11th time in F1 history that a grand prix had started behind a safety car.

To be more specific, it happened nine times in 66 years years up to the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix. Starting with Monaco, there have been two safety car starts in the last five races.

This attitude of safety uber alles has prevailed in recent years, but it is not necessarily good for F1. There must be a reasonable balance between safety and danger.



At the 2016 FIA Sport Conference, Sebastian Vettel named speed and danger as two of F1's "core pillars," with the ever-increasing speeds balanced against improved safety (h/t F1.com).

The start is usually the most exciting and, not coincidentally, the most dangerous part of a grand prix. Even with the current use of overtaking aids, the start is the best opportunity for drivers to pass each other. And the radio ban has made the starts more difficult for the drivers (especially if they are in a Mercedes) and therefore more unpredictable.

A summary of the Sporting Regulations on the official F1 website states, "If the weather is exceptionally bad the race director may choose to abort the start and resume the starting procedure only when conditions have improved. Alternatively,...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!