F1 drivers face tougher penalties

[Tazio]

Seriously, I do not think a single ply tissue's width should be taken as sufficient room.......

I pulled hard for Mike when he was at Ferrari. I have stated several times on this forum I will back anyone "The Scuds" trot out there.
Now I view him as I do most other drivers. I admire the fact that almost all are extremely talented, plus what they do takes balls.

Try to imagine if Rubens was Mika, and this is not a jab at The Cello. If Mike used that move this would very likely be the result and aftermath. Mika passes and after the race maybe grins a little when asked to recount the incident, but because he knows Mike is calculating in a ruthless way and that Mike will force you to slice ham in that situation. Mika would not allow Mike to think that he let him get into his head by taking it to the press. He'd just get on with it.

[Cooper_S]

I think it's irrelevant to point out the last fatality was 16 years ago and wasn't attributed to drivers racing each other as such.

Well naturally you do... because it underminds your argument. Either drivers are dangereous or they are not... it is sad that people like your good self want to sanatise F1, what next divide tracks into fast and slow lanes and fit indicators to all cars...


I think this rule is stupid in the context of racing.... I'm all for such rules on public roads, but on a race track drivers need to be allowed to race.

Senna would have quit F1 rather than race with such restrictions...

[Daniel]

Well naturally you do... because it underminds your argument. Either drivers are dangereous or they are not... it is sad that people like your good self want to sanatise F1, what next divide tracks into fast and slow lanes and fit indicators to all cars...


I think this rule is stupid in the context of racing.... I'm all for such rules on public roads, but on a race track drivers need to be allowed to race.

Senna would have quit F1 rather than race with such restrictions...

Not to be funny but if you're going to accuse me of something I've said I don't want to do then spell it right! It's sanitise!

Not to be funny and I appreciate the apparent stupidity of my statement but is Senna actually the sort of driver we want in this day and age? A driver who rather clearly took someone out on purpose?

[ArrowsFA1]

I'm all for racing. But some of the drivers have become too cocky IMHO and seem to think that because Senna's death was over a decade and a half ago that it's not going to happen to them because todays cars are so safe.

I think there's an element of that. I recently read again about Senna visiting the scene of Roland Ratzenberger's accident, and that Sid Watkins noted how shocked and upset he was in part because Senna had never witnessed anything like that in his F1 career.

Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher were also at Imola that weekend so they, more than anyone else on the grid, know what can happen and that makes Schumacher's actions even more deplorable IMHO.

One driver killing or seriously injuring another driver would be seriously bad for the sport.

Absolutely, which is the main reason I think the drivers themselves should take more of a lead when it comes to driving standards rather than relying on the FIA.

[Cooper_S]

Not to be funny but if you're going to accuse me of something I've said I don't want to do then spell it right! It's sanitise!

Not to be funny and I appreciate the apparent stupidity of my statement but is Senna actually the sort of driver we want in this day and age? A driver who rather clearly took someone out on purpose?

Q.E.D.

[Daniel]

Q.E.D.

Ummmm you've proved nothing? Are you saying that we do want people like Senna who are happy to go out and cause crashes 100% on purpose?

[Daniel]

I think there's an element of that. I recently read again about Senna visiting the scene of Roland Ratzenberger's accident, and that Sid Watkins noted how shocked and upset he was in part because Senna had never witnessed anything like that in his F1 career.

Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher were also at Imola that weekend so they, more than anyone else on the grid, know what can happen and that makes Schumacher's actions even more deplorable IMHO.

Absolutely, which is the main reason I think the drivers themselves should take more of a lead when it comes to driving standards rather than relying on the FIA.

Definitely. I think what Schumacher did was silly but at least he apologised after the incident. Webber for instance didn't apologise after the incident with Heikki which although more dangerous for Mark was still not acceptable in any way shape or form. What if Mark had killed himself or gone over a wall and killed marshals or spectators?

People seem to forget incidents like Graham Beveridge's death in Australia in 2001 because he wasn't a driver. Everything should be done to lower the chances of that sort of thing happening again and that goes from track design to crash barriers to deterring drivers as much as possible from having collisions.

[ArrowsFA1]

Definitely. I think what Schumacher did was silly but at least he apologised after the incident.

I don't think "silly" covers it but apart from that (I'm sure there's a thread devoted to the incident!) I was trying to make the point that drivers like Michael & Rubens have the knowledge and experience that could help improve driving standards, not lower them, and that could mean that the FIA do not need to step in with yet more regulations.

[Daniel]

I don't think "silly" covers it but apart from that (I'm sure there's a thread devoted to the incident!) I was trying to make the point that drivers like Michael & Rubens have the knowledge and experience that could help improve driving standards, not lower them, and that could mean that the FIA do not need to step in with yet more regulations.

But Michael still did what he did even though he was driving at the time of Senna and Ratzenberger so that somewhat proves my point.

I get what you're saying of course but I think the drivers have always seen the rather weak penalties as an excuse to give it a go as usually you can take a rival out and generally not loose too much as a grid penalty can usually be offset with a good pit strategy.

[Hawkmoon]

Webber for instance didn't apologise after the incident with Heikki which although more dangerous for Mark was still not acceptable in any way shape or form. What if Mark had killed himself or gone over a wall and killed marshals or spectators?

Webber made a mistake by mis-judging his closing speed on Kovalainen. In no way, shape or form can that incident be compared to Schmuacher pushing Barrichello into the pit wall.

Motor racing is dangerous. These guys know exaclty what they are getting into and the FIA has done huge amounts of work to make the cars and tracks safer. I don't think these new driving standards rules are sensible or necessary.

Short of running into the opposing car I think drivers should be able to do whatever they can to stop their rival from getting past. In my mind there's no such thing as blocking. It's up to the driver behind to find a way through.