Drivers have been given new rules on what to do if they run wide at turn two at Sochi Autodrom.
Previously a polystyrene block had been placed in the run-off area which drivers had to go around if they went off at the corner. This has now been removed, and drivers have instead been told they will be “reported to the stewards” if they are “suspected of having gained an advantage” by running wide at the corner.
Drivers will be considered to have cut the corner if they pass “completely to the left of the red and white kerb element on the apex”.
The removal of the polystyrene block follows a crash in yesterday’s GP2 race which was triggered when one driver tried to go around it. Artem Markelow was one of several drivers who went wide at turn two on the first lap, but as he drove around the block he hit a barrier, triggering a crash which involved several other drivers and led to the race being stopped.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
11th October 2015, 10:57
Christ, they should’ve just moved the block more outwards, away from the track, further into the run-off area to create more of a chicane and avoid the opportunity for driver to just make a quick, Imola-like chicane out of it (but with walls in the place of kerbs).
This is a step backwards, if oyu ask me.
Strontium (@strontium)
11th October 2015, 11:02
@atticus-2 I completely agree.
And it seems like incredibly unnecessary to remove it because one driver wasn’t competent enough to drive around it properly.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
11th October 2015, 11:07
@atticus-2 @strontium Yeah they’ve really watered this down. The root problem is that it’s a really badly designed corner with a very forgiving run-off area. But taking this away just lets drivers off the hook completely if they go wide there now.
Which, it must be said, is also the case at several other places on this track.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
11th October 2015, 11:47
@keithcollantine So you said on the twitter account that the new rules are “more forgiving”, my answer for that:
Did I misunderstand it? If they rejoin left to the kerbs than they will be automatically investigated.
That leaves less space to rejoin at speed if I understand it correctly.
Because left to that bollard the drivers could have rejoin at speed from the original rules, didn’t they?
And now if they do come back quickly, they can be penalised.
But certainly gravel would be needed in the runoff there.
PhilEReid (@philereid)
11th October 2015, 11:16
Forgive my photoshop skills but this is how it should be.
doublehelix (@doublehelix)
11th October 2015, 11:54
spot on
lockup (@)
11th October 2015, 11:36
All this hype about F1 people being smart. It’s not true is it? QED. A white line, with a kink drivers are ‘supposed’ to follow but with no physical compulsion, then a bollard, near the wall. One young, er, racing driver doesn’t do the naively expected thing but takes the direct line and they take it all away again.
Leaving the entirely predictable huge problem they had last year. Charlie. How does he survive? I reckon it’s the grey hair.
John Doe (@watertank)
11th October 2015, 12:33
*facepalm*