As we reported to you a few weeks ago, and as confirmed this Friday in Miami, Formula 1 plans to increase the maximum speed authorized in the stands in order to spice up the discipline (to read here).
Before the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994, the pilots could enter and leave their stops at maximum speed.
“We all remember Nigel Mansell, accelerating thoroughly in the stands to get to their location to get out of it,” Smiles Mike Krack, Aston Martin F1 track director, questioned about the project.
“It was really impressive to see. But it won’t happen again.”
Indeed, the proposal under study is not intended to return to an unlimited speed, or even to increase it on each circuit. But F1 being at the end of a regulatory cycle, with very close single -seaters and an important effect of turbulence, certain recent races have been far from spectacular.
Increasing the speed limit in the stands would therefore make additional stops less expensive and therefore more likely, overwhelming the strategic options of the teams.
As of this year, F1 imposes two stops at the stand in Monaco, while the CEO of the discipline, Stefano Domenicali, asked Pirelli to be more aggressive in the choice of tire compounds elsewhere.
As for the increase in the speed limit in the stands, it is not envisaged for all circuits; Especially on those where the narrowness of the lane of the stands has defined the lowest limits of the calendar, at only 60 km/h.
The idea is therefore to raise the limit to 80 km/h in Melbourne, Monaco, Zandvoort and Singapore. It seems that this measure is promoted by Liberty Media, a subsidiary of F1, rather than by FIA, more concerned with security.
“Formula 1 has a working group that studies this question in order to make the races more entertaining,” continues Krack. “Of course, we must weigh the pros and cons of the show.”
Monaco has already been ruled out for an increase at 80 km/h, while Krack added: “In Zandvoort too, it is simply too narrow. In addition, increasing the speed has only a limited effect on certain circuits.”
“I do not think that increasing the speed simply to improve the spectacle is the right approach if it does not allow you to be frankly thinking of making an extra stop.”
“But there are circuits, especially the most modern, which are very wide and sometimes have long ways of the stands. On these circuits we can do better and gain 5 to 7 seconds on the total cost of a stop, it’s huge for teams and strategies.”
Is this project likely to see the light of day?
“Yes, yes, there is a fairly unanimous support behind this proposal,” reveals Krack as a conclusion.
