The fact that the FIA has made changes to the restart procedure after a red flag is well received by Formula 1 drivers. There was an extensive discussion on the subject at the driver’s briefing in Baku on Friday after several incidents occurred in Melbourne.
The drivers’ main complaint was that their tires were too cold, which is believed to have caused the chaos at the second restart in Australia. The FIA then decided to send the safety car out of the pits earlier in the future so that the drivers can warm up their tires to their own extent before a standing restart.
“All the drivers came together after Melbourne and talked about it,” confirms George Russell, chairman of the drivers’ association GPDA.
During the sprint in Baku, the Mercedes driver noticed again how problematic driving behind the safety car is for the pilots, because after Yuki Tsunoda’s accident the race control only pulled out the virtual safety car before they did opted for the real thing.
Russell was able to keep his tire temperature behind the VSC, he says, “but when the safety car came out we were 20 seconds slower per lap and within one lap I lost ten degrees of temperature.”
Sainz sees the “right direction” in Formula 1
“I think the FIA has finally understood that a safety car sometimes causes more incidents in such conditions because you lose tire temperature,” said Russell. This is probably one of the reasons why the race organizers initially opted for the VSC in the sprint.
“So that’s the reason for this kind of rule change. And we have to keep moving forward,” says Russell. “I think we all hope that now the FIA will be more open to our views and discussions. But only time will tell.”
Carlos Sainz, who was one of those involved in the restart chaos in Australia, also welcomes the FIA’s reaction: “I think it’s the right direction,” says the Spaniard. “We asked the FIA and we were pretty direct yesterday and got straight to the point, which is what we need to avoid having as many accidents as we have in Australia.”
“And it seems that they took the feedback positively and acted immediately, which is exactly what we need from them in terms of safety and driver concerns,” said Sainz. “It’s a good step and a good step forward in our cooperation.”
Norris: It’s nice when feedback is implemented
McLaren’s Lando Norris stresses that the problem with tire temperatures has not been taken into account for a long time: “When 20 drivers are behind the wheel and witness how difficult certain situations are when it gets cold and the tires get cold, we are the ones who are at risk running to make us all look like a bunch of idiots like what happened in Australia,” he says.
“And that’s just because they don’t know how difficult it is sometimes,” said the Briton. “I know we’ve got big, nice tires and it looks incredible, but when we’re driving it’s a lot harder than people think.”
“And at the same time we want to improve the sport from a safety point of view, we want it to be closer and more fun. Because if it’s more fun, it’s more fun for us,” says Norris.
“I think it’s nice when we say things that help racing and the sport. And then when things are put into action it becomes even better. But when things are said but not changed, that’s that not the best result.”