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During the in-laps for yesterday’s second free practice session, the drivers tested a potential new way of handling a safety car incident. The current rules make the SC period a bit of a lottery as the pitlane closes to prevent drivers rushing back to get a free stop. However, if an accident means the safety car has be deployed as a driver approaches his pit stop window, then a stop is necessary, but so is a penalty under the these regulations. However a new system was tested yesterday and received mixed reaction from the pilots. Continue Reading

The final French Grand Prix will be the first race where a new system will be employed by the Formula One teams to hopefully solve the safety car pitlane controversy. The FIA and Formula One’s Technical Working Group have developed some software which will be added to the standard ECU and will monitor the cars sector times during a safety car period. This will allow the pitlane to remain open and give the FIA and race stewards a way to check the pace of the cars. Continue Reading

With a three week break until the Spanish Grand Prix, I thought it would be a good time to resurrect the News Round-up posts, as well as write some series posts about things I’ve yet to discuss on the site. Earlier today I posted about the background to Honda, their past and how they got back into Formula One. Over the next two weeks I’ll post about Renault, Force India, BMW et al. For now though, here’s the latest from the world of fast cars and controversial rules. Continue Reading

Enjoying his retirement from competitive driving in Formula One, seven times champion Michael Schumacher apparently viewed the Australian Grand Prix at his Swiss home. Like the rest of us Europeans, he was probably tucked up on the sofa but giddy with excitement as the 2008 season began. But this post isn’t about how Schumacher may or may not view the races, it is about his recent remarks concerning the safety car rules. Continue Reading

Mercedes today unveiled the SL63 as the official 2008 safety car and the C63 Estate as the medical car. Both cars have been developed by AMG and the Performance Studio and will be present at all races to assist the safety of the drivers. And once again, Bernd Maylander will be at the helm should the need arise during a race. The modifications made to the models are quite lengthy, but needless to say the cars are generally faster than their road-going counterparts thanks to weight savings and a professional driver behind the wheel. Continue Reading

Safety Car vs. Medical Car. Continue Reading