Random Thoughts...[F1 edition]

bone

"bangle for president"
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i always thought this section misses a random thoughts-thread, and since i'm no longer the only one, let's just create it!

and a first question: if rain had stopped around lap 50 in brasil, button would've never gone on inters/wets, yet wouldn't been forced to use both tires anymore since someone had used inters...

last year (i think) button pitted for new tires the second to last lap because he had to...now, if McLaren had pulled in Hamilton 3 laps from the end in, and fitted him inters (without a drop of rain in sight), button wouldn't have had to use both types anymore? and no rule would've been broken?

are you allowed to fit inters on a dry day? who decides when they can be used?
 
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The 'use both types of tires' rule has to be observed, unless race control declares a 'wet race'. So if you use inters on a dry day, you'll look like a window-licking idiot, but it doesn't absolve you from observing the two-coumpounds rule. As soon as RC delares 'wet race' the rule is ineffective (and automatically allows tire changes on the starting grid if I'm not mistaken).
 
I believe under changeable conditions, which Brazil was, anyone who goes to inters/wets is absolved of the two compound rule. If a team were to try to pull using inters in a completely dry race would either be disqualified or the stewards would force the team to make a pitstop as soon as they saw the inters come out.
 
I believe under changeable conditions, which Brazil was, anyone who goes to inters/wets is absolved of the two compound rule. If a team were to try to pull using inters in a completely dry race would either be disqualified or the stewards would force the team to make a pitstop as soon as they saw the inters come out.

i understood that if anyone used the inter/wets, everyone is absolved of the rule?
 
Ok, I waded through the rule book about the issue:

25.4 Use of tyres : said:
d) Prior to the start of the qualifying practice session intermediate and wet-weather tyres may only be used after the track has been declared wet by the race director, following which intermediate, wet or dry-weather tyres may be used for the remainder of the session.

So basically, yes, you can use Inters in a dry qualifying or race - if you want to look like a complete tool, that is. In the free practices it is forbidden unless the track has been declared wet. This is probably to avoid teams running on inters to save slicks for quali and race.

24.5 Use of tires: said:
f) Unless he has used intermediate or wet-weather tyres during the race, each driver must use at least one set of each specification of dry-weather tyres during the race.
If the race is suspended and cannot be re-started, thirty seconds will be added to the elapsed time of any driver who was unable to use both specifications of dry-weather tyre during the race. However, any driver who completes the race without using both specifications of dry-weather tyre will be excluded from the race results.
g) If the race is started behind the safety car because of heavy rain (see Article 40.16), or resumed in accordance with Article 42.5(a), the use of wet?]weather tyres until the safety car returns to the pits is compulsory.
A penalty under Article 16.3(b) will be imposed on any driver who does not use wet weather tyres whilst the safety car is on the track at such times.

So yes, you can put inters on in a dry race, but it will only free the respective driver from the two-compund rule. One thing I found particularily interesting.

1. If you are unlucky and the race gets red-flagged at half-time without being resumed, you'll get whacked upside the head with a 30 sec. penalty if you're still on your first set of tires.
 
I'd love to see the role out of press releases from that. Since most races that are red flagged and not continued are wet, it's obvious why nothing has come from this but if anything causes a dry race to be red flagged and not continued, words would fly.
 
I'd love to see the role out of press releases from that. Since most races that are red flagged and not continued are wet, it's obvious why nothing has come from this but if anything causes a dry race to be red flagged and not continued, words would fly.

Sadly the circumstances that might cause a dry race to be red-flagged and abandoned would probably mean that any post-race penalties would probably be ignored in the aftermath. A red-flagged dry race without a restart would probably imply an extremely serious accident.
 
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Sadly the circumstances that might cause a dry race to be red-flagged and abandoned would probably mean that any post-race penalties would probably be ignored in the aftermath. A red-flagged dry race without a restart would probably imply an extremely serious accident.
I didn't want to imagine any scenario that would cause a dry race to be red flagged and abandoned. The farthest I let my mind go was track degradation.
 
I didn't want to imagine any scenario that would cause a dry race to be red flagged and abandoned. The farthest I let my mind go was track degradation.

Track degradation? Pah. They've never stopped a race due to the track breaking up, just remember Canada a couple of years ago and Dallas back in '84. They carried on racing despite the asphalt being as shot to pieces as a Romanian street. :lol:
 
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I'm well aware of those circumstances but I was thinking more like giant holes in the tarmac, like several nascar races that I can't recall the names of.
 
Does anyone think we'll ever see a full-robotic or partially-automated pit crew in the very long term? I ask because I imagine, if it were at all possible, that there would be motions to suggest its implementation as a way to make the sport safer. I know the idea seems far fetched but, I was just curious to see what everyone else's thoughts were.
 
Does anyone think we'll ever see a full-robotic or partially-automated pit crew in the very long term? I ask because I imagine, if it were at all possible, that there would be motions to suggest its implementation as a way to make the sport safer. I know the idea seems far fetched but, I was just curious to see what everyone else's thoughts were.

Well pit stops are part of the race as much as the drive, so probably not. They represent the teamwork aspect of a race and you can see the difference in speed between top tier teams and back markers.

I like seeing a whole bunch of engineers scurry around getting ready for a pit stop, it is a strange juxtaposition when you have a bunch of nerds run around like that xD
 
Does anyone think we'll ever see a full-robotic or partially-automated pit crew in the very long term? I ask because I imagine, if it were at all possible, that there would be motions to suggest its implementation as a way to make the sport safer. I know the idea seems far fetched but, I was just curious to see what everyone else's thoughts were.

Gosh I hope not. It's bad enough with the lights system.
 
I hope not either. It's just a crazy idea I had.
 
Wow, lukenwolf saw the ban hammer?
 
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