Jules Bianchi passes away following accident at 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix

  • Thread starter Blitz24
  • 1,602 comments
  • 83,609 views
Swagger897
To a certain extent I agree, however, they weren't undergoing any sort of cyclone. At that point in the race, there really isn't a need to even extract the car, so the JCB is entirely unnecessary anyways.
Click to expand...
Rain or shine you cant hit a tractor at racing speed if it not on the track, or racing speed. This was both and is inexcusable given what we know and the relevance of the date it happened.
 
I would like to think that 5, 10 or even 15 years down the line most of the big tracks will have Monaco style cranes to extract cars from the outside of the track. It won't always be possible because of space and position of the car but JCBs on a live track should be an absolute last resort.

Also in this specific case with the car right against the barrier I'm not sure why that JCB couldn't have lifted it over from behind the barrier, it looks like it has sufficient reach.
 
IforceV8
Slow zone,SC, leave the car there with a local yellow as a last resort, but sending construction equipment out on a hot track on the outside of the turn were a car just crashed should NEVER happen.
Click to expand...

Well in theory that section of track wasn't hot since there was double waved yellows but I sympathise with the view that drivers can't always be trusted to obey flags.

And I agree that slow zones/VSCs seem like the best solutions for these situations (although it also makes me sad that sort of enforcement is needed to ensure safety).

But I don't understand the idea of leaving the car there at all, even as a last resort - if there's a risk of drivers going too fast under yellows and crashing, then that risk applies whether or not the construction vehicle is there. Crashing into a stationary car at the edge of the track isn't acceptably safe surely.
 
TRGTspecialist
But I don't understand the idea of leaving the car there at all, even as a last resort
Click to expand...
Because it's a race. Some drivers are going faster than others through that area with those conditions, giving them the advantage. If it was just one yellow, it would just be an advisory for them.

It's better to let them keep racing than stop it with less than 5 minutes to go and trail behind a safety car..
 
TRGTspecialist
But I don't understand the idea of leaving the car there at all, even as a last resort - if there's a risk of drivers going too fast under yellows and crashing, then that risk applies whether or not the construction vehicle is there. Crashing into a stationary car at the edge of the track isn't acceptably safe surely.
Click to expand...
For sure but the odds a driver would be killed would be much lower hitting another F3 car vs a 6 ton lift. I would have used a slow zone and they did have that option since they were supporting the DTM series but for some reason decided not to use it.
 
Swagger897
It's better to let them keep racing than stop it with less than 5 minutes to go and trail behind a safety car..
Click to expand...

Wouldn't need to stop racing entirely with a local slow zone/VSC.

IforceV8
For sure but the odds a driver would be killed would be much lower hitting another F3 car vs a 6 ton lift.
Click to expand...

Probably yes, although not necessarily in every specific case - the possibility of launching over an F3 car and leaving the track boundaries for instance is something you'd have to consider.

I don't agree the lower risk makes it acceptable anyway. It's worth remembering that the chances of a driver going too fast under yellows, then crashing in the same place a recovery vehicle is - let alone in an area of the vehicle and at an angle where the helmet makes direct contact - are incredibly low. But it doesn't stop trying to eliminate that chance.
 

Latest Posts

Back