Formula 1: Suzuka GP Preview

mellowtiger83 said:Honestly, I've seen way too many crashes where drivers were just—well, let's just say they weren't exactly paying attention. They got off scot-free—no consequences at all. Berger-Imola, Barichello-imola, Martin Donnelly, Robert Kubica and the rest—ugh.
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ruggedhawk20 said:Martin Donnelly is disabled.

mellowtiger83 said:@ ruggedhawk20.

Martin Donnelly's got a missing right leg—just so we're clear.Looking at the photos—yeah, he’s standing and walking just fine—it's clearly a prosthetic situation.

Given that accident—I’m still saying he got lucky—he’s still functional as a human being, and maybe even motor-wise too.

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After all this chaos, we might finally see F1 cars moving toward fully enclosed cockpits. Even then, I doubt it would have saved Julian Bianchi; perhaps it just might have cushioned the impact on the helmet slightly.

I believe that was already being discussed back when Massin’s spring failed.

Listen, ruggedhawk20, you're being far too bright for your own good. Martin Donnelly walked away from his accident, so I'll take back what I said about there being no consequences. Are you satisfied now?

Jason Campbell70 said:If this is right, Julian Bianchi was hitting 125 mph at the moment he took off.
And you definitely don't pull stuff like that under those conditions—especially after they've already flashed double yellows at you.

Sure, you shouldn't be doing it—but people do it because nobody's actually stopping them.

Under yellow flags, the only hard rule is "don't overtake"—there isn't some specific speed limit written in stone. It just says you have to slow down. Good luck trying to regulate that. Going from 126 to 125 is technically slowing down. There’s no rulebook saying exactly how much.

Besides, everyone does it—everyone's just trying to catch the pack behind the safety car as fast as possible.

A few years back, Montoya wiped out in a puddle while the track was drying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87xVnWEyOak

ruggedhawk20 said:It’s something you shouldn't do, yet people do it—simply because there isn't a rule forbidding it.

Under yellow flags, overtaking is strictly prohibited, but how much should you actually slow down? There's no specific speed limit dictated by the rulebook. It just says you have to reduce speed. How do you even regulate that? Is dropping from 201 mph to 200 mph considered a reduction? The rules don't specify a target number.

Everyone knows what the flags mean.
Everyone knows what double yellows signify.

Danger ahead—slow down—be prepared to stop.

Doing 200 mph on a wet track? That doesn't fit the definition at all.

graniteharbor502 said:The track's split into 20 sectors, so under a yellow flag, drivers have to drop two tenths off their best time—and if there's a double yellow, they gotta shave off half a second.

See? Total nonsense. Rule is brainless.

I’d bet money he was running at least half a second slower than his Saturday qualifying pace.

Half a second!? Idiots.

In GT3 and other endurance races, you just use Code 60.

And it's crystal clear what that means. You don't go over 60km/h. Period.

What kind of BS is this, half a second!? Forget about it—even ten tenths would be crazy.

Jason Campbell70 said:Flags mean something.
Double yellows mean something too.

Danger—slow down—get ready to stop.

Doing 200 mph on a wet track just doesn't fit that vibe.

Duh, obviously it means slow down. But by how much!? It doesn't say anywhere. If he was doing 210 and dropped to 200—was he following the rules? Yes.

The fact that the rule is idiotic and totally vague is a whole different conversation.

Looking at these GIFs, you can clearly see the helmet—the head itself—is positioned significantly lower in the second frame compared to the first. It’s obvious. There was a massive impact on the helmet, an impact so violent it essentially forced Julian Bianchi down into the cockpit. Honestly, if it weren't for that safety slope on the rear of the excavator, he wouldn't be here. That specific design is likely the only reason he survived.

It was a brutal impact to the helmet, honestly. When you factor in the sheer velocity and the mass of the vehicle he struck, it’s nothing short of a miracle he survived at all. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him. He’s young, so perhaps that gives him an edge in recovery, but I have to say—it doesn't look good. Not one bit.

mellowtiger83 said:If you look at these GIFs, you can see his helmet—basically his head—is sitting way lower in the second shot than in the first. That means he took a massive hit to the head; the impact literally shoved him deeper into the cockpit. Honestly, thank God there was a berm on the back of that excavator, because if he survives this, that slope is the only reason he’s still breathing.

ruggedhawk20 said:I already know.

Look at this photo—Julian Bianchi’s helmet slams right into this curved part of the rear end—which basically shoves his head deep into the cockpit—and slices right through the airbox.

Absolute stroke of luck. If that excavator had hit that nasty brush instead of us—man, someone's head would’ve been crushed or sliced clean off for sure.

Look, man—hot water is a total game-changer, but it’s got one massive flaw.

ruggedhawk20 said:Look, hot water is a wonderful invention, but it does have one fatal flaw.

Do you honestly believe I have the time to read every single post on this board? If I somehow offended your sensibilities, then please accept my deepest apologies, Mr. ruggedhawk20.

I am truly sorry I didn't realize sooner that you were significantly more enlightened than I am.

You're welcome. No problem at all.

A wise man needs no further explanation, and assumptions are the root of all errors.🙂

ruggedhawk20 said:Well, obviously it means slow down. But by how much? It doesn't say. If he was doing 130 and slowed to 125—did he follow the rule?

The fact that the rule is poorly defined is a whole different issue.

I have no idea what happened to my previous reply to this post.

Whether you slow down by 12 miles mph or 75 miles mph shouldn't even matter.

Julian Bianchi should have adjusted his speed to match the changing track conditions.
He didn't.

Jason Campbell70 said:I am quite certain my previous response to your post seems to have vanished into thin air, as I cannot seem to find it anywhere.

Whether one slows down to 12 miles/h or perhaps 75 miles/h—does it truly matter in the grand scheme of things?

The issue was that Julian Bianchi simply failed to adjust his pace to the changing conditions on the track.
And yet, he didn't.

Perhaps one day, you and I might actually find ourselves in total agreement. 🙂

Jason Campbell70 said:Not sure what happened to my reply to this post.

Whether he slows down to 12 miles/h or 75 miles/h—doesn't matter one bit.

Bianchi should’ve adjusted his speed for the track conditions.
He didn't.

I get all that—but my point is there isn't even a rule forcing him to do it. The handbook doesn't say "drive at 30 mph."

Maybe they just left it up to Darwinism. Who knows.

Once again, if you actually slow down—or rather, decelerate too much—you have to watch out for those behind you, lest they run you off the road.

Jason Campbell70 said:If this holds water, Bianchi was hitting 125 mph at takeoff.
You don't go that fast under those conditions, especially after being waved down by double yellow flags.

If that’s true, then Bianchi was actually being plenty cautious and definitely slowed down, since he was way slower than his teammate...
Bianchi - 125

Chilton (in the same car) - 153 😳


So people can talk all they want, but a 27 miles/h difference is definitely enough of a slowdown due to the flags!

Joshua Scott said:Indianapolis is an incredibly dangerous track, but honestly, it’s mostly a nightmare for motorcyclists because it doesn't even meet the safety standards set by the FIA, nor could it ever actually meet them.

Ever since "my guy" Daijiro kata passed away there, you just don't see NASCAR racing at that circuit anymore.

The barriers are just way too close for comfort.

That’s just awful http://youtu.be/v62763_d2HE.

stormybadger8 said:If that's the case, then Bianchi was driving way too cautiously and definitely backed off, since he was clearly much slower than his teammate...

But considering he went off track—he obviously wasn't cautious enough, nor slow enough.

Emily Patel64 said:And now even Lujo is chiming in, saying maybe they should've called the SC earlier.

Honestly, Lewis needs to just shut his mouth and learn when to pipe down...
Some people here are busy blaming Charlie, but if you ask me, Lewis is way more to blame than Charlie for what went down at Watkins Glen...
We all know Charlie. He’s obsessed with driver safety. He’ll throw an SC on the track for anything—a tiny piece of debris or even just a few raindrops on the asphalt.
But what happened here? At the start of the race, we saw the real Charlie, driving under the SC like he always does. Then Lewis starts getting in his head, pressuring him to keep the race going, making those passive-aggressive comments that basically made the whole world laugh at Charlie... And it clearly worked. By the end of the race, despite Sutil's accident and that heavy rain, Charlie didn't pull the SC. I bet he was stuck thinking, "Look, Lewis has a massive lead, if I call the SC now, he's gonna chew me out over the radio again."
Obviously, Charlie isn't going to say that publicly, but the SC stayed out because of Lewis...

When it comes to the SC and keeping drivers safe, Lewis needs to stay quiet and let the officials do their jobs without all the psychological games.

Edward Howard2 said:that Lewis really needs to shut his mouth and learn when to back off once in a while...
some people here are out to blame Charlie, but honestly, Lewis is more to blame than Charlie for how things went down at Watkins Glen...
we all know Charlie. He cares about driver safety. He’ll throw a Safety Car on the track for any tiny debris or just a few drops of rain...
but what happened today... we saw the real Charlie at the start, driving under the Safety Car, and then Lewis starts leaning on him. He pressured him repeatedly to keep the Safety Car out, doing it so subtly that the whole world was basically laughing at Charlie because of Lewis's comments... and it led to this. Even with Sutil's accident and that heavy rain toward the end, Charlie didn't deploy the Safety Car. It feels like Lewis got in his head. He was probably thinking... look, Lewis has a massive lead, and if I call the Safety Car now, he's just going to tear into me over the radio again...
obviously, Charlie isn't going to say that publicly, but the Safety Car stayed in the pits because of Lewis...

When it comes to the Safety Car and driver safety, Lewis should just stay quiet and let the officials do their jobs without being pressured...

Spot on.

Now you see people acting like Charlie is weak or incompetent, but he’s actually got the hardest job in the sport—trying to manage people and deal with everyone's constant demands and requests...

Edward Howard2 said:Lewis really needs to shut his trap and learn when to back off once in a while...
People here are busy blaming Charles, but honestly, Lewis is more to blame than Charles for what went down at Watkins Glen...
We all know Charles actually gives a damn about driver safety. He’s the guy who calls for an SC the second a tiny piece of carbon fiber hits the track or if there’s even a hint of rain...
But look at what happened. At the start of the race, we saw the real Charles driving under the SC, but then Lewis stepped in. He kept pressuring Charles to pull the SC, doing it so passive-aggressively that the whole world was laughing at Lewis's comments. It clearly messed with Charles's head. Even with Sutil's crash and the heavy rain at the end, Charles didn't call for the SC because Lewis had psychologically played him. He was probably thinking, "Look, Lewis has a massive lead, and if I call the SC now, he's just going to chew me out over the radio again..."
Obviously, Charles isn't going to say that publicly, but the SC stayed out because of Lewis...

When it comes to the SC and driver safety, Lewis should just stay quiet and let the officials do their jobs without being pressured...

Facts. 👍
And it’s not even the first time he’s been talking nonsense on the radio during an SC, like complaining about his soft tires...