Does F1 need a faster safety car?

[FourWheelDrift]

Why not introduce some entertainment at the same time?

The new FIA's safety car - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1qWdxPOQvU

[tobinen]

I think it was Brundle who mentioned a DTM car. Seems reasonable enough; it could carry 2 and safety equipment plus Maylander is ex-DTM I believe so he'd be fine.

[thegreenhell]

Shaw Tarse said:

Munter said:

Also needs to be able to go out in wet conditions when the F1 cars start slipping off. So can't have the same fundamental problems associated with an F1 car in the wet.

Was there a time when the safety car was too quick in the wet for the F1 cars?

Can't remember which race, but there was one in recent years where the drivers had to ask the safety car to slow down due to the conditions.

[Pickled]

thegreenhell said:

Can't remember which race, but there was one in recent years where the drivers had to ask the safety car to slow down due to the conditions.

Wasn't that the race (2007 Fuji?) when Vettel was at STR and rear ended Webber.

[Munter]

drdel said:

Use technology to electronically control the cars to a defined set of speed parameters. Fine drivers who overtake or attempt to break format when 'under the flag'

I do believe that would be called the virtual safety car.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117316

[greygoose]

drdel said:

Use technology to electronically control the cars to a defined set of speed parameters. Fine drivers who overtake or attempt to break format when 'under the flag'

What happens when the McLaren can't keep up ?

[shirt]

mercedes amg have supplied the safety car for almost 20yrs, its a good bit of sponsorship for them which i doubt they'll give up.

however, surely its easy enough to throw gt3 suspension/engine, slicks and lightweight mods into the road car shell for a bit more pace - particularly cornering speeds.

[Jonesy23]

shirt said:

mercedes amg have supplied the safety car for almost 20yrs, its a good bit of sponsorship for them which i doubt they'll give up.

however, surely its easy enough to throw gt3 suspension/engine, slicks and lightweight mods into the road car shell for a bit more pace - particularly cornering speeds.

You don't really think it's a standard road car underneath do you?

[shirt]

i doubt its bog standard, but it ain't race spec either. it corners like a road car and there's a fair amount of dive when its on the brakes.

[thegreenhell]

According to this article it is completely standard, mechanically, albeit fully equipped with all available performance options, the only exception being a 'modified performance exhaust':

http://www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/news/2015/2015-aus...

[craigsup]

jjones said:

Why not just limit the speed and the guy at front is responsible for not breaking the limit and the others just follow on behind.

You mean like the virtual safety car?

[GroundEffect]

A race car doesn't make sense. The reason they use road cars is that they are less temperamental.

An old F1 car requires a TEAM to run it.
A DTM car requires similar.

I was wondering about having slicks on the safety car if necessary but then you have issues with wet vs dry sessions where you need the safety car to be the 'rock'.

[oyster]

Surely slower safety equals less racing laps lost to clear debris/danger?

[craigsup]

oyster said:

Surely slower safety equals less racing laps lost to clear debris/danger?

Not exactly a bad thing - until they sort out the fuel restrictions and tire wear, the less competitive laps the better, as you'll see the cars in race mode much more.

[mikecassie]

I thought that the deployment of the safety car was to lessen the danger to the marshals etc when clearing up after an accident? Left unhindered with yellow flags we know F1 drivers will drive right at the edge of whats acceptable. Suzuka 2014...

Wasn't it Mika Hakkinen who used to raise a hand when in a yellow flag zone to make people think he was slower when in reality he didn't back off at all?

So if that is the case why make the safety car faster, wouldn't this increase the danger to the marshals who are relatively unprotected when doing their job.

A road car is probably more a marketing driven thing, it showcases how good Mercedes AMG cars are. Apparently...

Maybe we can have a faster safety car once Maldonado has quit, this will lessen by quite a percentage the chance of marshals being deployed in the first place. And that idiot is just as likely to head off into the gravel while gawking at the accident he wasn't involved in the first place...

[Cyder]

Or the drivers could just accept the safety car is what it is and drive accordingly until they have temperature and pressure back in the tyres/brakes.

[boyse7en]

Why do you want a faster safety car? Isn't the point of it to slow and corral the field so that marshalls have time to clear the track? If you had a Safety Car that could do the laps much faster then there would be less time to work on track, then more laps under SC conditions.

[angrymoby]

mikecassie said:

I thought that the deployment of the safety car was to lessen the danger to the marshals etc when clearing up after an accident? Left unhindered with yellow flags we know F1 drivers will drive right at the edge of whats acceptable. Suzuka 2014...

Wasn't it Mika Hakkinen who used to raise a hand when in a yellow flag zone to make people think he was slower when in reality he didn't back off at all?

So if that is the case why make the safety car faster, wouldn't this increase the danger to the marshals who are relatively unprotected when doing their job.

A road car is probably more a marketing driven thing, it showcases how good Mercedes AMG cars are. Apparently...

Maybe we can have a faster safety car once Maldonado has quit, this will lessen by quite a percentage the chance of marshals being deployed in the first place. And that idiot is just as likely to head off into the gravel while gawking at the accident he wasn't involved in the first place...

good points (i use the 'hand' when Karting )

but if travelling behind the safety car, causes tyre temps to drop so much as to cause more cars dropping off track then it's a bit counter productive

[PhillipM]

Rather the car fell off than someone piles into the marshalls.

[jjones]

craigsup said:

You mean like the virtual safety car?

No, the difference between a virtual safety car and a safety car is that under the virtual safetycart the distance between drivers is maintained. This is not the case with the follow my leader behind the physical car. I am saying run the physical safety car model (if the cars need to be bunched for safety reasons) just without the physical safety car.