Confused about the new VSC

[andone89]

How much do drivers have to slow down and what is the speed limit when the VSC is deployed?
http://www.f1technical.net/news/19868
Also seems like drivers are allowed to go to pits to change tyers when VSC is out.
"Drivers will not be allowed to enter the pits, unless it is for the purpose of changing tyres"

[ian_s]

the article states: " they will have to stay above a minimum time set by the FIA "
that time will be dfifferent for every sector on every track, but i guess they will just have a delta time displayed on the dashboard.

[Trocola]

How easy could be to use a speed limit like they use in pits? But that seems too easy for the FIA. They say there is a delta time, and a beta time, and a... and then, when someone goes faster, the team will say thta there is a loop hole on the rules that allows you to go faster if it is raining, becasue on the rules does not say that you must go slower than the delta time when it is raining....

How stupid and complicated they are making F1

[andone89]

How easy could be to use a speed limit like they use in pits? But that seems too easy for the FIA. They say there is a delta time, and a beta time, and a... and then, when someone goes faster, the team will say thta there is a loop hole on the rules that allows you to go faster if it is raining, becasue on the rules does not say that you must go slower than the delta time when it is raining....

How stupid and complicated they are making F1

+1 on that!

[Steven]

How easy could be to use a speed limit like they use in pits? But that seems too easy for the FIA. They say there is a delta time, and a beta time, and a... and then, when someone goes faster, the team will say thta there is a loop hole on the rules that allows you to go faster if it is raining, becasue on the rules does not say that you must go slower than the delta time when it is raining....

How stupid and complicated they are making F1

Agreed it's a bit complicated, but it is the exact same situation as right now under a normal safety car. You may or may not know that when the SC is on track and cars are not in the queue yet, a maximum sector time is displayed on each drivers' dashboard to avoid them racing to the pitlane, as that would obviously create a safety risk as well. It's a good enough system, and really nothing to worry about for the regular TV spectator.

A speed limit for a certain marshall sector has been tried as well, but it was deemed too risky, as drivers would race and brake at the very last moment to gain that little bit of time. It's inherent to motorsports that drivers will push, and under dangerous situations, sometimes a complicated system is all that is left to ensure safety.

[Trocola]

Agreed it's a bit complicated, but it is the exact same situation as right now under a normal safety car. You may or may not know that when the SC is on track and cars are not in the queue yet, a maximum sector time is displayed on each drivers' dashboard to avoid them racing to the pitlane, as that would obviously create a safety risk as well. It's a good enough system, and really nothing to worry about for the regular TV spectator.

A speed limit for a certain marshall sector has been tried as well, but it was deemed too risky, as drivers would race and brake at the very last moment to gain that little bit of time. It's inherent to motorsports that drivers will push, and under dangerous situations, sometimes a complicated system is all that is left to ensure safety.

I think that's a problem. If you are driving an F1 car, you can't be looking all the time to a tiny screen to see if you are going too fast. You put a 100km/h speed limiter, just like in the pits, from marshall point A (waving a new type of flag to inform that you have to activate the limiter) to marshall point B (where a marshall will inform about the end of the limited-speed zone) and there will be no problem with speeding.

Also, to avoid speeding when a safety car is deployed, race control could activate the speed limiter of all the cars

[andone89]

My idea is to have a system similar what go-karts have. When somebody is off the track a man presses a button and all go-karts slow down to 10 km/h. This is some kind of a electronic system that is fair to everyone and also very safe. Of course you could argue that it is dangerous when you are lets say driving through eau rouge at the time when the limiter is put on but I am sure that the technies of F1 could figure out a system that would allow cars to start slowing safely.

[NathanOlder]

Would the cut in power be just cutting the engine or would it involve the brakes, if its just cutting power and your at the apex of the penultimate turn in china you will lose out massively to someone mid way down the back straight as the would slowly reduce speed to the said limit. If the sytem involved the cars brakes activating to slow the cars, it would be very dangerous to each driver knowing the brakes could activate at any given moment.

[McMrocks]

Wouldn't activating a speed limiter benefit those who have already passed the fastest parts of the track?

There is a difference between if you are stuck with a speed limit at the fast straights at Abu Dhabi or in the rather slow Sector 3. If they chose to apply a speed limit they have to make sure that the speed limit is upheld exactly that long that all cars have arrived at the point of the track where they were when the speed limit was set. (As some might enter the pits this seems a impossible task)



@NathanOlder: Correct. As i don't think the FiA can opperate the brakes(at least yet), i see this solution as flawed.

Looking at those problems i'd rather support the idea of a speed limit in certain Marshall sectors.

A speed limit for a certain marshall sector has been tried as well, but it was deemed too risky, as drivers would race and brake at the very last moment to gain that little bit of time.

I don't know why it should be more dangerous than driving to the pits. If you fear they might spin in case they lose the control of their car, you should simply apply the speed limit to several marshall sectors before the location of the incident.

[Moose]

I don't understand really why this needs more discussion. The FIA already have come up with a perfectly workable solution. They show sector times to the drivers, the drivers drive to them. There isn't an issue with drivers looking down to compare times all the time, they're already doing this kind of thing in practice, and even in qualifying.