2001 Belgian Grand Prix – Alonso info
- This topic has 13 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 6 months ago by Bleu.
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- 25th September 2011, 13:04 at 1:04 pm #130122pejteParticipant
Hello my dear F1 Fanatics,
I have a question/request for you.
The TV Station in my country hosted a small contest before this week’s race, but i think their answer was completely wrong.
The question was: ” How many starts did Fenando Alonso have before scoring his first championship points, and where did this happen”
They said that the correct answer was 17 starts, but 800+ of us (the viewers) answerd 18. They said that in 2001, Alonso did not start. As far as i see in this video (i found it only in german here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeIbl9BOWqw )
Need some clear evidence that Alonso moved off the line at the start, don’t care if he abandoned in the first lap.
Any advice is welcomed.
25th September 2011, 14:12 at 2:12 pm #178962f199playerParticipantOfficial records have Alonso as starting the race
25th September 2011, 14:12 at 2:12 pm #178963pejteParticipantCan you please give me an official link?
25th September 2011, 14:18 at 2:18 pm #17896425th September 2011, 14:42 at 2:42 pm #178965pejteParticipantThanks. Didn’t think to look at the F1 official website :)
27th September 2011, 12:20 at 12:20 pm #178966pejteParticipantOk, so the people from the TV Station replyed to my e-mail. They said that Alonso’s start did not count in his personal statistics (?) and that because after the restart there were only 36 laps, out of 44.
I still think they are wrong, but i need more evidence to convince them. Please help
27th September 2011, 12:33 at 12:33 pm #178967raymondu999ParticipantSean Kelly who is F1’s premiere stat man considers lining up on the grid, when the red lights are signaling the start, an F1 start
27th September 2011, 12:37 at 12:37 pm #178968Dan ThornParticipantWhen there has been a red flag and the race gets restarted, anyone who does not take the restart is classed as not having started that race. This is generally the commonly accepted view and as such, the TV station are correct.
That said it is a slightly grey area of F1 statistics, with different people counting different scenarios as ‘starts’. It’s not the best question for them to have used, honestly.
27th September 2011, 13:31 at 1:31 pm #178969pejteParticipant@raymondu999: Ok. Guess i should tweet him.
@Dan Thorn: So Hamilton has a DNS in Canada this year?
Anybody think i have a chance to get an answer from the FIA or FOM ?
27th September 2011, 15:30 at 3:30 pm #178970Dan ThornParticipantNo I think that’s a different scenario as there have been rule changes regarding what happens during a red flag now. Years ago it used to be that a race restarted under a red flag would be classed as an entirely new race, often with a shortened distance, with the grid lining up as they qualified and totally disregarding what happened in the however many laps there had been before the red flag.
Nowadays the clock doesn’t stop during a red flag, and the grid sets off in the order they were before the stoppage. It’s more like a ‘pausing’ of the race rather than totally stopping it.
Like I say though, it’s a grey area among F1 statisticians as to what constitutes a start. Your best bet would be to contact the TV station and complain that the question was unfair as there are two acceptable answers.
27th September 2011, 20:44 at 8:44 pm #178971pejteParticipanthttp://www.fia.com/resources/documents/1718286849__Belgium_2001_News4.pdf
According to the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations (Article 158. Case B) the first part of the race is declared null and void with the grid being established by the finishing order in the first four laps.
Seems they are right, but i doubt they actualy know why. Meh…
Thanks everybody for the help.
27th September 2011, 22:25 at 10:25 pm #178972f199playerParticipantThe rules at the time stated that should the race be stopped before the completion of the second, then the first start is declared null and void (and therefore treated as race never being started). In the event for the race being stopped after the second lap being completed then only the timing results will be declared null and void (and those who retired during the first race shall still be classed as starting the race). The race shall then be completed over the original distance, minus the number of lap originally completed, minus a further three laps.
If the TV station still don’t agree then I suggest getting in contact with FOM or the FIA for clarification
28th September 2011, 7:53 at 7:53 am #178973pejteParticipantWell these pdfs from the FIA website seems pretty official.
http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/1804534710__Belgium_Class_2001.pdf
http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/1944909070__Belgium_lap_2001.pdf
http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/1718286849__Belgium_2001_News4.pdf
Still searching the regulations from that time, for a loophole, but i doubt i will find something usefull.
29th September 2011, 6:56 at 6:56 am #178974BleuParticipantEven that link is missing Nick Heidfeld who retired on the first lap of the restarted race due to collision with de la Rosa. PdlR pulled into the pits to retire.
I find it pretty strange to count DNSs on that race. Räikkönen, Irvine, Burti and Alonso were out before the red flag but in my books they have started.
Talking about restarts and whether they should count, just ask Niki Lauda whether he started 1976 German GP or not?
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