Drivers seek clarification
October 29, 2009 by Negative Camber
Filed under People & Events, Top Story
F1 drivers are seeking clarification from the FIA’s Charlie Whiting regarding the increasing defensive driving tactics during races. It seems that Toyota’s Jarno Trulli showed up at teh Thursday FIA press conference with photos of his accident with Force India’s Adrian Sutil in Brazil two weeks ago to justify his actions. This prompted Sutil to ask Trulli during the conference if “he is blind”. Nothing like a little dust up just prior to a grand prix weekend.
Brazil saw some aggressive driving by Brawn GP’s Jenson Button to claim the World Championship but it also saw a few defensive maneuvers that created some accidents. Even world champ Button accused Toyot’a Kamui Kobayashi(substituting for the injured Timo Glock) of being “all over in the braking zone” trying to defend his position.
Kobayashi was also accused of causing a dramatic accident of his fellow countryman Kazuki Nakajima of Williams F1. Then there was Red Bulls Mark Webber versus Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen incident that removed the Fin’s front wing as well as McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton who nipped Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello’s rear tire rendering his race finished.
Is it aggressive defense, dirty racing or are we asking the FIA to create even a larger Nanny State with F1? Apparently outgoing Williams F1 driver Nico Rosberg feels it is too aggressive and was caused by the retired Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher…I guess Rosberg never saw a Senna/Prost battle or a Gilles Villenueve.
“Barrichello, Webber and Kobayashi did exactly the same thing,” said Rosberg. “With Webber, Raikkonen lost his front wing, with Kobayashi, Nakajima had a massive off, which could have been much worse – you can really hurt yourself, marshals and others in that sort of accident.
“With Barrichello, Lewis ran into the back of his tyre. That was the third time – and it is not allowed to happen.
“It is Michael Schumacher who started this, like at Spa [in 2000], when Mika Hakkinen tried to overtake him and he ran him off the track. When the guy behind has made a decision [to pass] and the guy in front then moves over, it is very dangerous. You cannot do that.”
“That was the first time I remember it being a dangerous issue, so it needs to be looked at and clarified from my point of view. I will be mentioning it in the drivers’ briefing.”
“I am not saying anyone has done anything wrong [in Brazil], because there has not been a clarification about it, but the view of the drivers needs to be taken into account and we say it is very dangerous. Something needs to be changed.”
What do you think? To aggressive? Nanny state? Somewhere in between? Leave your civil comment below and let’s discuss….me? I say we don’t need a nanny state.
Loading ...
As the field runs laps closer and closer to each other I think we’ll see this more and more. I don’t know if it’s going to be like NASCAR but we’ll see these types of incidents a lot more next year.
(NASCAR fans forget that about 20-30 years ago it was common to have only perhaps 10 cars on the lead lap with most being multiple laps down. As the officials standardized the cars over the year, you see more packed running.)
Rosberg should not say it was Schumi though. I guess I can’t blame him because he was still breast feeding at the time Schumi was racing, but aggressive driving was in F1 before Schumi got there.
You’re right, it IS going to happen next year. Especially with drivers that are semi-new to driver’s etiquette when passing/driving in traffic in F1. Hopefully the newer drivers get adequate seat time away from race weekends!
Too aggressive? Strange, I always thought it was the passing driver’s responsibility to make the pass cleanly. Just as in the rules of the road, you are responsible for where your nose goes. Pretty sure that maxim applies to all types of multi-competitor racing.
Is Trulli new to F1? The last time a driver went to the FIA he gave the rest of the grid a reason not to hire him as a driver (a la Piquet) … if he is fighting for his seat he needs to get out of the courtroom and settle things on the track. Sutil probably should have left him room, but his position was defensible. The FIA is never going to make a black and white policy guide to “passing for professionals” – if that is what Trulli and others are looking for.
The problem is they are racing open wheelers. Aussie V8’s, Touring cars and NASCAR, all have a lot of agressive moves and the reason they get away with it is threefold. Lover speeds, no open wheels (stronger cars) and more evenly matched cars (means the overtaken car can come back and try to re-take the position).
I dont agree with the one move rule, I think the guys should race and if they take each other out tough luck.
Maybe we could lobby to remove the one move rule and, instead, pack in between the monocoque and composite fibre with all the cash the drivers stash.
Things might get really civil.
Hey don’t be implicating Gilles Villenueve in the dirty driving conversation. He certainly raced hard but I don’t recall him pulling anything close to what Senna or Webber have done.
Look at the classic closing laps of the ‘79 French GP to see what combative but fair driving is all about. Sure, Villenueve and Arnoux banged wheels, but there was no intentionally pushing the other to the grass, or trying to cut the other’s tire, and there was no brake checking. Each driver didn’t back down but they also gave each other room and did not resort to anything dirty.
Jd i was thinking exactly the same and i was thinking too to Digione 79…
That was the perfect example of a extreme but fair race.. racing isn’t about put out somebody who’s tring to pass, you have to brake after him to resist and take the best line but you have to leave enough room, not 1 inch more but enough! Nico is right in my opinion, and a great driver don’t need to intimidate or put out someone else.. Is too easy doing like Webber or Sutil did in last race, and even more is too dangerous. Maybe because modern f1 are so safe somebody forget the risk of this behaviour.
I understand what Nico and Jarno say, because i remember the ‘70 and ‘80 races..
Risk versus reward?
If you spend all your time racing with your mirrors, are you really racing?
Fast is fast. If someone has a run on your position then maybe you should be concentrating on getting quicker by putting in smoother laps and faster times.
Blocking your position by altering your line is always a very risky thing for yourself as well as your rivials.
As a long time racer of open wheels on dirt, no mirrors required or needed, you just put your head down and go like hell.Looking back always slows you down and will usally get you in trouble as you may be missing something that lies ahead. If someone is faster they will find a way around you no matter what. I am not saying that I never blocked anyone but I did learn very quickly that it usally did not have a good outcome in the long run.
I am retired from racing now but I tried to always beat everyone by not looking back and racing forward. IF someone wants to pass and can do it they must find the way and if you are a smart racer you will learn from them and maybe you can repay the pass using their own tactics and lines. My type of racing was greatly differnt from F1 but I still believe that the principals apply to all types sports and life in general, that if you worry about the other person or persons you are not improving your own skills.
You know how it goes: “To finish first, you must finish”