Caporegime
Confirmed: F1's 2020 season will kick off with a double header in Austria
Motorsport Off Topic Thread
- Thread starter Shimmy
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Has anything been said about whether these track will be run in different configurations? or are we going be watching effectively the same race twice, just for the sake of making up the numbers?
Edit: Silly thought! Can they run the tracks backwards?
Edit: Silly thought! Can they run the tracks backwards?
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Tracks can't be run backwards without major changes. Things like run off are set up in completely the wrong places and access cut outs for marshals all face in the wrong direction to allow it safely. They're trying to get one race at each track to have a reverse championship order sprint race with final race positions setting the grid for the race. No points will be awarded for this race. Most teams seem down for it and it will help differentiate each weekend from the next one.
Yea, I figured the track thing was unlikely.
Under normal circumstances I'd be against introducing gimmicks, but If they insist on having two races in the same location, It's good they're trying to differentiate them.
Guaranteed drama when someone inevitably crashes into someone during the sprint race.
Soldato
The Race actually tried it in F1 2019, highlighting some of the changes that would be needed at Silverstone.
Even ignoring grandstands and barrier positions, the worst thing (on most circuits) is the way barriers overlap. Currently they're only designed to overlap in one direction, so running in reverse would lead to a lot of potential for a car to crash on the wrong side of the barrier, or hit the end of a barrier head on.
It's really good video, and the reverse layout looks completely mad. Even more mad than Silverstone is already. Copse is even scarier in reverse.
Even ignoring grandstands and barrier positions, the worst thing (on most circuits) is the way barriers overlap. Currently they're only designed to overlap in one direction, so running in reverse would lead to a lot of potential for a car to crash on the wrong side of the barrier, or hit the end of a barrier head on.
It's really good video, and the reverse layout looks completely mad. Even more mad than Silverstone is already. Copse is even scarier in reverse.
Soldato
Chris Haye ran some other circuits on reverse too
Caporegime
Even if there are no track changes, it won't be the same race. Things will always play out differently.
tl;dw: Nope, no, noppety, nope. The tracks can't be made safe for reverse racing without big alterations, and even if they could it would be far too expensive, take too long to do between weekends, and they'd need approval that would be almost impossible to obtain in time.
Caporegime
So this would effectively be an alternative qualifying session? That'd be cool.
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Soldato
In theory, in practice it would have some drawbacks.
Let's say a top car such as a Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari had a failure in the first race in Austria. Championship order would mean they would start first in the reverse grid qualifying race. They would probably come close to lapping the field even in a short race and if their rivals couldn't pass the rest of the field in the qualifying race, they ought to have a stupidly easy win in the main race.
Granted you could just say only cars which were classified in the previous race would count, and those which retired starting behind all the finishers, but then you'd have mid-field or damaged cars scrabbling to finish last in the early rounds, which wouldn't exactly be safe - and awful if it spoiled a genuine race that was trying to come through and lap them towards the end of a race.
It's the sort of thing which should be trialled given 2020 will be all over the place already, but it would need to strong rules to stop it from being abused and effectively declaring a race over before it has started.
Looks like Mercedes are refusing to back this at the moment, so it looks increasingly unlikely anyway. A somewhat odd team to refuse backing as Mercedes have been one of the first to agree to emergency measures for the good of the sport, and given how their star driver is one of the better ones at coming through the field.
Caporegime
It could be an issue in the very first race, yes, but after that it doesn't strike me as that abusable, and even that abusability seems mostly likely to make the actual race more interesting and close competitors up in the championship standings which strikes me as working as intended.
Let's take your two examples: one of the top drivers fails in the first race and gets an advantage in the sprint race leading to a better position in the second actual race. Okay, yeah, they may run away with that race but this can only really happen at the first double-header (or, I suppose, the second if they have a really bad sequence of races) and it acts to help close up the championship so it's not entirely a bad thing.
Meanwhile if a low running racer decides to drop back, all this means is that they're a few places higher for one sprint race and one actual race following it, in this race they have a boosted chance of getting in the points by having a slower running car in front of faster running cars, and - if they get in the points - it closes up the championship and corrects itself for future sprint races. This seems like the system working as intended.
A bigger problem could be reliability and damage issues, but I guess you replace a practice session so the actual running time should be similar?
Man of Honour
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Going to be a strange season.
Caporegime
Opening 8 race mini-season announced. Potentially more to follow:
Austria July 3-5
Austria July 10-12
Hungary July 17-19
UK July 31 - August 2
UK August 7-9
Spain August 14-16
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium August 28-30
Monza, Italy September 4-6
So 2 double headers, and a trip to Spa. Looks like quite a good season, tbh.
Austria July 3-5
Austria July 10-12
Hungary July 17-19
UK July 31 - August 2
UK August 7-9
Spain August 14-16
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium August 28-30
Monza, Italy September 4-6
So 2 double headers, and a trip to Spa. Looks like quite a good season, tbh.
Man of Honour
Hockenheim and Mugello are on a "standby" list in the event that the European season needs to be expanded as there remain question marks over Baku, Singapore and Japan... would have liked to see Imola personally.
Soldato
Eurgh, two at Silverstone. I think every F1 in the world would have preferred two at Spa instead.
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Don
Plenty of worse tracks than Silverstone though
Caporegime
I like Silverstone but, yes, Spa is the better track. I believe it is to do with the practicalities of team travel and the like. F1 is, more than anything, a British sport.
Man of Honour
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It’ll be interesting. Red bull could get off to a good start. It’ll be a tight championship with so few races. I wonder how much cars have developed since testing?
Man of Honour
Could be worse; could be back to back at Paul Ricard....
Soldato
I've been thinking that. I wonder what the chance is of multiple teams turning up with their own DAS interpretation. Admittedly it'd be risky running it with only two practice sessions to test it, though.