Is Whiting too old/risk-averse, should Petrov be penalised?
Is Whiting too old/risk-averse, should Petrov be penalised?
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Discussion

skwdenyer

Original Poster:

18,707 posts

269 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Many didn't see any need for a red flag in order to deal with Petrov's crash, an act which effectively gifted the race win to Vettel. In years gone by it wouldn't have happened. Whiting seems, to me at least, to be getting more risk-averse as he gets older. He's been in-post since 1997; is it time for a change?

Equally, should Petrov be penalised for having caused a race to be needlessly stopped? It is reported that he complained solely of a pain to the ankle - surely he should be getting a penalty for not just stepping out of the car?

Northern Munkee

5,354 posts

229 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Well given the time it took to extract him, the race would then have finished under the safety car anyway, so it still would've been Vettels win...

Streps

2,457 posts

195 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
He said he could not feel his legs after the incident.
So it was safer to just red flag it and extract him to be safe,
fair enough really.

vescaegg

30,128 posts

196 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX5Qxaixdu0&fea...

Wonder if whatever flew into his cockpit at 00.04 was the cause of his injury upon contact with the barriers. We were told the cockpits were basically bullet proof from the outside, but what if a foreign object is already inside?

paulmurr

4,203 posts

241 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Petrov said:
"It was quite a big impact and I could not feel my legs very well after the crash.
From here

I think Charlie was bob on to stop the race.

Mojocvh

16,837 posts

291 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
vescaegg said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX5Qxaixdu0&fea...

Wonder if whatever flew into his cockpit at 00.04 was the cause of his injury upon contact with the barriers. We were told the cockpits were basically bullet proof from the outside, but what if a foreign object is already inside?
tear off?

skwdenyer

Original Poster:

18,707 posts

269 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
All fair enough, in that case. The reports at the time suggested 'a pain in the ankle'; it is very different if he said he could not feel his legs.

vescaegg

30,128 posts

196 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Mojocvh said:
tear off?
Think it was part of the rear wing of Sutil?

Fire99

9,865 posts

258 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
I'm not certain Petrov should be back in a car anyway. Since his 'Dukes of Hazard' moment, he has apparently been complaining of lower back pain.

The monaco shunt was pretty minor.

covboy

2,593 posts

203 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
F1 cars are also fitted with a dashboard light system activated during a crash, linked to the telemetry I believe, which indicates to the first Marshals on scene whether it's safe for the driver to get himself out, or if a specialist extrication team should be called - I should think this could also be linked to the teams/race contol (if anyone else could confirm?)

CampDavid

9,145 posts

227 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Maybe I'm a little cynical but Petrov was on for some points if the race had been red flagged and stopped immediately. A small part of me wonders if he was trying it on a bit

Piglet

6,250 posts

284 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
If the driver was complaining of back/leg pain and/or the telemetry indicated a serious impact then it would be appropriate to extricate him using the standard procedures.

I think this could have been done under the safety car but it would have taken longer than the remaining laps so the result would have been as it stood when the SC was deployed (subject to unforeseen issues).

At least by stopping the race and restarting, it gave a chance for the remainder of the race to take place. For me the problem is with the regs that allow significant works and tyre changes to take place during a red flag, that's what is likely to have changed the result.

zac510

5,546 posts

235 months

Monday 30th May 2011
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You can't judge Whiting on just one race. How many other red flags have we had in the last few years? (edit: very few is my point here)

Just to put it in perspective, I recall in the 80s-90s (and maybe earlier but I'm not that age) we used to get red flags after first corner demolition derbs a few times every season. Around the late 90s or so they took to keeping the safety car out which also meant drivers couldn't jump into the T car. The last red flag race start that I can recall was Spa 98.

Edited by zac510 on Monday 30th May 21:19

Chris Sideways

433 posts

281 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Remind me what engine the RedBull uses smile

zaphod42

59,280 posts

184 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Too risk averse? If anything F1 us getting complacent. 17 years since a fatality. In the 60s it was 1 in 3 drivers IIRC that died. We've been very lucky (and only luck) that we haven't seen fatalities in the last few years. Kubica at Canada, Perez this weekend leap to mind.

At any other track, would probably have been double waved yellows, depending on where, but we have no desire to risk the lives of track side ambulance crews as well as the driver?

Small price to pay for a red flag for a car in an enclosed racing space to be recovered when he can't climb out himself.

As for him being penalised; not sure; racing incident was my take but I haven't re-watched all of the footage.

Chrisgr31

14,275 posts

284 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Chris Sideways said:
Remind me what engine the RedBull uses smile
That thought had occurred to me as well! Although in reality thw monitoring of radio transmssions would mean no way of arranging it.

Fire99

9,865 posts

258 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:
Chris Sideways said:
Remind me what engine the RedBull uses smile
That thought had occurred to me as well! Although in reality thw monitoring of radio transmssions would mean no way of arranging it.
Yep, It pressed my cynical / conspiracy theory button too. Very unlikely but when you hear of some of the schenanegans that's gone on over the years in F1, you couldn't 100% discount it.

Fire99

9,865 posts

258 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
Just to add, it would also be bonkers for Renault to get caught up in ANOTHER controversy so my conspiracy side is dwindling. biggrin

Rollcage

11,345 posts

221 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
[quote=zaphod42]Too risk averse? If anything F1 us getting complacent. 17 years since a fatality. In the 60s it was 1 in 3 drivers IIRC that died. We've been very lucky (and only luck) that we haven't seen fatalities in the last few years. Kubica at Canada, Perez this weekend leap to mind.

/quote]


It's never been anything like that sort of ratio. 12 drivers died in racing in the sixties.

I think that figure of 1 in 3 has something to do with a quote from JYS, but I cannot remember the context.

woof

8,456 posts

306 months

Monday 30th May 2011
quotequote all
of course there's no reports of any injury at all from the team nor hospital.
That wasn't a high speed impact. I'm sure he was a bit sore. But that's it.

Whiting however can only react to what his medical team tell him and there was ALOT of debris on track.

I think if there wasn't the debris, then they would of run behind the safety car.