Sainz hopes “extreme” Qatar GP scheduling will not be repeated

15 comments on “Sainz hopes “extreme” Qatar GP scheduling will not be repeated”

1. 

   S
   6th October 2023, 3:00

   Ah, CotD….
   Kerbs don’t damage cars, drivers do. Damage is an acceptable, and perhaps the most appropriate, consequence for not being in complete control of your car (as per the rules).
   Does the author complain about the walls offering damage to anyone who leaves the track at Monaco, too?

   And this is as consistent for everyone as it can possibly be. They are literally driving on the same track at the same time…
   1. 

      MichaelN
      6th October 2023, 14:58

      While I’m all for being extremely strict on track limits, not all kinds of kerbs are a fitting solution. Drivers have said repeatedly that the kerbs are very hard to see from the car (unlike walls), and depending on their exact shape they also don’t provide the same kind of feeling as they get from grass or gravel. So there’s not much skill involved, just a risk assessment in how far they want to push it.

      Some of these kerbs, most notoriously those in Austria and Monza a few years ago, were also simply dangerous because they don’t account for cases where drivers are not in control of their car and approach them in unintended ways or speeds; the sport doesn’t need cars being launched or have their underbody ripped apart when a car is in a spin. Let them get stuck in the gravel, sure, but there’s no need to make kerbs into outright hazards.
      1. 

         S
         6th October 2023, 15:05

         Drivers have said repeatedly that the kerbs are very hard to see from the car

         Then they need to tell their team designers that. Visibility from within the car is entirely a team problem, not an FIA problem nor a circuit problem.

         So there’s not much skill involved, just a risk assessment in how far they want to push it.

         Assessing risk is part of the skill of being a racing driver, though. That’s their job.
         Never mind the fact of the rules stating they must stay between the white lines at all times….
         There’s nobody else to blame if they go there.
2. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   6th October 2023, 6:08

   That was also my point & worry ever since this season’s race calendar announcement.
   As already pointed out, having the Qatar GP at this time of year will only be a one-off thing with the upcoming pairing with Abu Dhabi as part of F1’s long-term regionalization plan.
   However, that scheduling could’ve already been done for this season, but better later than never.

   Regarding Lawrence Stroll’s verdict: I’m perfectly okay with ten teams, but I’d be equally okay with one more, so I’m indifferent.

   I already responded to the COTD in the original article, but armco barriers & concrete walls on temporary circuits are even worse car-damagers than uneven curbs, so questioning or complaining by drivers is somewhat contradictory.
   1. 

      frood19 (@frood19)
      6th October 2023, 6:51

      The problem with all the current teams refusing to admit any others (a closed shop) means the sport is totally beholden to the teams and has to bend over backwards to keep them sweet. The alternative is that one or more drop out and you end up with a tiny grid of cars.

      Frankly, 20 cars is already a very small field. Admittedly, the reliability these days means we still end up a decent size field running pretty much throughout the race. But bigger grids are inherently more exciting and better for the health of the sport. More opportunities for young drivers, more battles, more chances for the unexpected.

      It’s staggeringly short sighted and hypocritical of people like Stroll (especially Stroll who is himself very new to the sport) to say the current number of teams is the “right” number.
      1. 

         baasbas
         6th October 2023, 7:31

         @frood19
         I disagree with your view on Stroll. He knows what he is doing. He’s just saying whatever necessary to protect his investments best way he thinks possible. I think that this is pretty obvious and not hypocritical at all.
         1. 

            S
            6th October 2023, 7:48

            It’s hypocritical in the sense that if Stroll were in Andretti’s position, his opinion would be totally different.
            It’s (presumably) not Stroll’s universal belief that (any) 10 teams are the right number of teams for F1 – it’s based on the condition that he, himself, is in the club of 10.
            1. 

               baasbas
               6th October 2023, 10:59

               @S
               That first part is conjecture, that’s just an assumption. I don’t think he would sound the same as Andretti simply because he already made sure he wouldn’t even be in that position. I think Stroll was smart in how he got in. He figured out that taking over a team was the way to go. And the rise in value of the teams would cover for the (huge) investment it would take.
            2. 

               S
               6th October 2023, 11:26

               We’ll never know for sure, because Stroll bought his way in before the drawbridge went up (in part, no doubt, at Stroll’s own request).

               Stroll wasn’t so smart – he was also very lucky. Timing and opportunity were on his side… One team just happened to be in massive financial trouble when his interest (ie his son) piqued in F1. A bit of insider information and some devious trading (including at Perez’s cost) and bingo – Stroll’s business conglomerate becomes team owner.
               You remember who else was vying for to purchase the team at that time? Right – Andretti.
            3. 

               MichaelN
               6th October 2023, 15:08

               The ‘rise in value’ is something that F1 teams tell themselves and others to prop up their own business. But as it is, no team has actually been sold, so there are just rumoured asking prices and a long list of refusals from third parties to buy. Even Audi didn’t care to buy Sauber; they just partnered with them.
3. 

   RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
   6th October 2023, 7:27

   I’m not sure I understand the COTD.

   There should be a natural deterrent for going off circuit and it’ll always be unbalanced circuit to circuit. For example Hamilton went over the Roggia in his incident with Piastri and sustained no damage, whereas Leclerc went off at the chicane in Zandvoort – with a gravel trap – and sustained enough damage to retire from the race. Hamilton’s excursion was at much higher speed in the dry but incurred much less of a ‘natural penalty’ for it.

   I think it’s impossible to make each corner on the championship proportional to the offence, as at Silverstone Copse and Stowe, high speed right handers, have tarmac run off but Campsa and the last turn at Barcelona have gravel.

   Fundamentally, the sport has allowed these tarmac run offs to create an illusion of safety. If the drivers are willing to attack the corner at 100% every lap without penalty then they make more mistakes so look poorer and are carrying higher speed increasing the danger. The skill should be in who can get close enough to the penalty line and control their driving to match the risk. Whether that is a drive through for having 4 wheels off track or a car damage kerb, I’m happy as I think it is more in line with the historic gravel trap punishment of previous eras which were more impressive to watch.
4. 

   MacLeod (@macleod)
   6th October 2023, 8:04

   “I’m not worried because I know Singapore feels very, very hot. I did well in Singapore, so I’m ready for it.”

   If memory serves me right Sainz last stint was very slow due tyre wear but no one could overtake him because of the track anyway. I think Sainz is going to be surprised then if he thinks he could do the same as in Singapore.
5. 

   Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
   6th October 2023, 10:30

   F1 should try sportswashing at cooler temperatures. It’s better for the environment, and avoids shrinking and ruining the product.
   1. 

      baasbas
      6th October 2023, 12:19

      @bullfrog
      cotd
6. 

   Palaboran
   6th October 2023, 14:48

   Too much sand, too much wind, too much heat. Awful ambiance and backdrop. On the other hand Qatar has too much money and there lays the problem.

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