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F1 engineers are concerned that the FIA's mid-season clampdown on race start procedures has not been properly thought through. Initially, the measure to put more onus on the actual drivers rather than the technology and engineers barking detailed instructions was widely welcomed.
But it will come into effect at next weekend's Belgian grand prix at Spa-Francorchamps -- and according to Auto Motor und Sport, some teams are worried they cannot properly adapt their 2015 systems for the new rules.
"Some," wrote respected correspondent Michael Schmidt, adding that some teams are now 'critical' of the mid-year clampdown. "The FIA has been bombarded in recent weeks with requests from the teams about what is allowed and what is not," he added.
The German magazine explains that the 2015-specification technology was designed to function with sophisticated software that needs to be adjusted for the optimal clutch settings -- which differ from start to start based on a plethora of factors.
So if the driver now gets it wrong, "He will either have a bad start or he will burn it up (the clutch) later in the race," one engineer was quoted as saying. And Force India's team manager Andy Stevenson adds: "The driver will know in advance that he will have a bad start and will not be able to do anything about it." (GMM)
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (2)
Login to replykhasmir
Posts: 893
Indeed, could get quite messy if some cars in front do not get of the line well and/or smoke their tires and others behind need to take evasive action with limited visibility. Could even be dangerous.
Also, it's a bit of a shame to put all that effort in qualifying and then for the start to be a lottery. Seems like getting a good start now will include a decent amount of luck.
f1dave
Posts: 782
Not luck, it will finally be back to the skill of the driver which is the whole point of racing. The drivers further back in the field will need to use their brakes and throttles as they should. Leaving everything up to who has the best software is why fans are giving up on F1.