106 replies to this topic

[FLB]

Well, another race, another poll... 

[TheFish]

They are famously slow and incompetent, this one is was also slow and incompetent. Definitely could be something fishy with the timing though.

[jonklug]

Look it's probably just extreme incompetence. But it sure as hell looks bad and if it were RedBull who benefitted from it many would claim it as fact that it was intentional. I'm saying it's dodgy but probably just incompetence to the extreme. But hey I am very kind.

[P123]

Yeah, standard stuff... you know it's coming, you just don't know when exactly! Sometimes they even manage to go from VSC to SC.  So, were they helping McLaren, keeping it green to aid Max's pursuit, let it go green when the leaders were entering the straight to aid MAx, VSC to cool off Max's charge..... or just spent an age waiting on Hulk to exit, and to see if the car could be pushed not giving a **** about the lead battle.  I'm sure there are a few other options that could be added. 

[Ali623]

Many examples in the past of them being shockingly slow with the SC/VSC deployment - not sure why, but no reason to assume anything but that in this race too.

[P123]

Look it's probably just extreme incompetence. But it sure as hell looks bad and if it were RedBull who benefitted from it many would claim it as fact that it was intentional. I'm saying it's dodgy but probably just incompetence to the extreme. But hey I am very kind.

 

Dodgy in terms of incompetence, but nothing new there.  No pitstops to be had, so the benefit/ disadvantage on timing looks fairly negligible. 

[Button4life]

https://www.reddit.c...a1/s/VHvV2JTgk9

Look how close Hulkenberg was to the track. With some bad luck, this could’ve been a nasty incident. Awful awful race management from the fia.

[Kao18]

Looked dodgy as h@ll.

There was a car standing right next to the track with a driver climbing out but they wait two full laps right until the McLaren drivers swapped, amazing.

[SenorSjon]

We've seen the Haas bellowing smoke, we've seen him stranded when the timing broke and yet they waited 2(?) laps for the VSC to drop so they could swap cars. And they called it when the leaders were entering the main straight.

Edited by SenorSjon, 02 November 2024 - 15:28.

[STRFerrari4Ever]

It’s just the incompetence of the FIA, at this point I expect it. I hope they sort it out quickly for their sake because I can envisage a situation that goes horribly wrong because the race wasn’t neutralised by either VSC or SC promptly.

[jee]

We need a race director that does not care about the teams at all, only about the race.

[Razoola]

I think personally the issue being investigated has nothing to do with the time deltas. Its is because He moved alongside the car in front. If I remember correctly this was a rule added a couple of years back. It was brought in because Max was driving along side the car ahead during safty car restarts. He did the same today though its a VSC and not full SC. I think the rule change however applies to both SC and VSC.

Edited by Razoola, 02 November 2024 - 15:30.

[jacdaniel]

Yeah that’s outrageous really. We have to prioritise safety at all costs. Not wait for a team to switch drivers first to make the show more interesting.

There needs to be an internal investigation to understand why safety protocols weren’t followed

[SophieB]

Posts removed. Please don’t discuss fans in this thread.

[PrinceBira]

I think personally the issue being investigated has nothing to do with the time deltas. Its is because He moved alongside Norris. If I remember correctly this was a rule added a couple of years back. It was brought in because Max was driving along side the car ahead during safty car restarts. He did the same today though its a VSC and not full SC. I think the rule change however applies to both SC and VSC.

He was pulling along Piastri. And the rule mentioned only refers to a full SC, not a VSC.

Aa for this incident, typical RD incompetence. Mclaren got lucky and FIA really need to get their act together before we have a very unlucky situation in the future.

[Metronazol]

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Rings true a lot in F1.

[SophieB]

I do think they called it because they were nervous about Hulk on the track.

[Eyeshield]

This isn't the first time the FIA have been slow to activate the safety car or VSC. Has happened many times over the past couple of years. Nothing to see here.

[MJB5990]

The reaction to this is hilarious.

[JL14]

Better question is why last race it was a SC instead of a VSC.

 

SC is to get the cars bunched up so there's clear track to work for the Marshalls. But with the accident right at the start, all cars were still bunched up so a VSC should have sufficed.

[Analog]

How about an option "It looked a bit suspicious"? 

[jacdaniel]

The reaction to this is hilarious.

It wouldn’t be hilarious if someone had been killed by that pure stupidty

[Larunss]

Disgrace and the common incompetence of race operations.
So often you see these crashes or broken cars where it is obvious VSC or SC is needes, bit for whatever reason they wait around.

But since Max is lately definately on the bad boy list for FIA's Christmas presents, you never know...

[krea]

Better question is why last race it was a SC instead of a VSC.

 

SC is to get the cars bunched up so there's clear track to work for the Marshalls. But with the accident right at the start, all cars were still bunched up so a VSC should have sufficed.

 

Because they clearly take the state of the race/WDC/WCC into account despite claiming they don't 

[Eyeshield]

The real discussion point should be why drivers continuously stop their cars in dangerous positions around the track. In some instances driving only a few metres down the track or positioning the car slightly differently would avoid safety car / VSC moments. The FIA should fine drivers for this.

[IrvTheSwerve]

I voted all 4.

[Marklar]

They call the SC/VSC regularly 1-2 laps too late, anyone who sees this as suspicious now lives in confirmation bias of their conspiracy theories.

As an aside, I do think they sometimes time things for the sake of the race excitement, but in this case they probably would have done the opposite. Max nearly passing Norris after the VSC would have been way more jucier.

[IrvTheSwerve]

https://www.reddit.c...a1/s/VHvV2JTgk9

Look how close Hulkenberg was to the track. With some bad luck, this could’ve been a nasty incident. Awful awful race management from the fia.

Maybe we should just red flag races until the driver is back in his ice bath at the motor home.

[Button4life]

They call the SC/VSC regularly 1-2 laps too late, anyone who sees this as suspicious now lives in confirmation bias of their conspiracy theories.

As an aside, I do think they sometimes time things for the sake of the race excitement, but in this case they probably would have done the opposite. Max nearly passing Norris after the VSC would have been way more jucier.

The fact race control is consistently awful doesn’t make it less awful. This has nothing to do with race manipulation but it does has to do with safety and incompetence. Since you have cars racing at 300 kmph, safety and incompetence is a really bad combination

[jonklug]

https://www.reddit.c...a1/s/VHvV2JTgk9

Look how close Hulkenberg was to the track. With some bad luck, this could’ve been a nasty incident. Awful awful race management from the fia.

Damn thats insane man

[IrvTheSwerve]

Damn thats insane man

Why? It’s well off the racing line and trajectory and they aren’t racing at the point under yellows.

[MJB5990]

It wouldn’t be hilarious if someone had been killed by that pure stupidty

They've been calling VSC/SC too late for 5 years. Now suddenly it's an issue.

I wonder what changed.

[Brawn BGP 001]

has nobody noticed they only call SCs on lap 1 when the cars are literally in sector 3

[Carsey]

Super suspect IMHO.

[krea]

it cracks me up that they announced the VSC ending soon and then waited exactly until the McLaren's were past the two main overtaking opportunities to actually restart the race. 

[P123]

The fact race control is consistently awful doesn’t make it less awful. This has nothing to do with race manipulation but it does has to do with safety and incompetence. Since you have cars racing at 300 kmph, safety and incompetence is a really bad combination

 

Double waved yellows.  Nobody should be 'racing' past. 

[Button4life]

Double waved yellows. Nobody should be 'racing' past.

I’m not talking about double flags only. Race control has been nonchalant with many incidents. Consistently calling (double) yellow flags and safety cars late.

[IrvTheSwerve]

has nobody noticed they only call SCs on lap 1 when the cars are literally in sector 3

Which is sensible, they are waiting for the cars to get into order and there’s no need to not race until they get to the s/f straight again. Don’t want the cars all easing off while 4-wide.

Edited by IrvTheSwerve, 02 November 2024 - 15:59.

[Brawn BGP 001]

Which is sensible, they are waiting for the cars to get into order and there’s no need to not race until they get to the s/f straight again.

Yeah it also allows more racing as lap 1 is the easiest lap to make passes on.

[jonklug]

James Hinchcliffe on F1TV: "We saw Nico Hulkenberg out of the car, walking away from his stricken machine as the cars came through on the previous lap. What changed that made them now throw the virtual safety car?"

 

"The timing of all this is very bizarre to me."

[MikeTekRacing]

Double waved yellows. Nobody should be 'racing' past.

Yeah, it worked so well with Jules…

[Kao18]

Right RC didnt see this…

https://www.reddit.c..._feet/#lightbox

[JeanAlesi27]

This is so move along it's 

[Arska]

Double waved yellows.  Nobody should be 'racing' past. 

 

The motivation is there to still push to the limit, with VSC it's removed.

[Ramon69]

Well this season had it all..from great battles on track, mindblowing silly season to pointless controversy.   Who would've thought in spring, when the Bahrain GP took place... it seems like a lifetime now, but what started out as a borefest turned into an amazing season really! 

Edited by Ramon69, 02 November 2024 - 17:01.

[Miles749]

From the McLaren team radio it seems McLaren thought that Hulkenberg would restart and be able to come into the pits. McLaren first told Piastri to swap then to not swap. 

 

It is likely that the race director thought the same. 

[cjm321190]

Yeah, it worked so well with Jules…

Jules racing to catch the pack. to catch a safety car. Driver used to do that.

Same with Hubert. other drivers are off the track on the tarmac so will put my foot down to gain an advantage.

Both times driver trying to game the system.

Hakkinen used to stick one hand up for the yellows to acknowledge.

When drivers are racing they become stupid so strict rules are needed to nullify the race.

Edited by cjm321190, 02 November 2024 - 17:03.

[FLB]

Jules racing to catch the pack. to catch a safety car. Driver used to do that.

Same with Hubert. other drivers are off the track on the tarmac so will put my foot down to gain an advantage.

Both times driver trying to game the system.

Hakkinen used to stick one hand up for the yellows to acknowledge.

When drivers are racing they become stupid so strict rules are needed to nullify the race.

'Twas ever thus. Ever watched the movie Grand Prix? Because that's the very discussion (the fictional) Jean-Pierre Sarti has with Louise Fredrickson at the Monaco post-race party, while Scott Stoddard was lying all bandaged-up in a hospital bed.

[ClubmanGT]

Reaction on Twitter seems to be evenly split between the convenient timing of the call and the inherent danger of not making it sooner.

All things considered, that's a pretty healthy reaction from what can be an extremely partisan part of the fanbase. No one seems happy with it though. 

[JHSingo]

Very bizarre - and not a good look for it to look so blatantly fishy. Probably just a procedural thing, but when so many people have the same thought of "hmm that was odd timing", yeah...this sport really doesn't help itself at times.