Wisdom of chicanes early in the lap?

[Super Tourer]

Martin Brundle referred to drivers concerns over the chicanes at Monza, leading to the type of incident we witnessed in the race.

Surely chicanes, designed to slow cars down are a liability so early on in the racing lap.

Because there were two chicanes seperated by a fast section at Monza, it had the effect of bunching up the cars, when they were already close together in the early stages of the race.

With 22 cars charging into a chicane, the front cars are moving very slowly, the cars at the back still going very fast, leading to the concertina effect we saw at Monza.

If the chicane was nearer the end of the lap, the cars would have been more spread out and drivers had more time to react.

[R]

Originally posted by Super Tourer

Because there were two chicanes seperated by a fast section at Monza, it had the effect of bunching up the cars, when they were already close together in the early stages of the race.

My thoughts exactly.

If the chicane was nearer the end of the lap, the cars would have been more spread out and drivers had more time to react.

Agree. And the chicane towards the end of the lap is also a nice flowing one (Ascari), so it doesn't involve nearly as hard braking.

[Jay]

The problem with the chicanes is not that they are early on the first lap, but that the cars enter them at such a highspeed. If the starting grid was right infront of the first chicane, odds are there would be no problems. The problems occur when 22 cars brake from 200+mph into the first and second corners. The real solution would be to make sure the cars are not travelling very fast when they enter the first corner.

[SL]

Why not miss out the first chicane(s) by using the escape road(s) on the first lap ? By the time they start the second lap the cars should be spread a little and better able to cope with a very fast to very slow change.
SL

[EERO]

Or is it possible that the grand old track at Monza has outlived its era?

I should hate to think so. I would rather see the chicanes removed, but then the speeds of the cars would be excessive-imagine a car going off at Lesmo at 240mph; its chilling.
I really enjoy the atmosphere at Monza, and hope to make my pilgrimage some day, but the current configuration does not work with the current cars.

[Regs]

I agree with EERO, I don't think Monza has outlived this era any more than any other track but what they should do is put the chicane either prior to the first lesmo, and give the field a chance the spread out a little or redisign the Lesmo section. Every year I watch Monza it does seem as though on the start all the cars squeezing into that area alway seem on the edge of disaster.

[f1ciamp]

[QUOTE]
[B]Or is it possible that the grand old track at Monza has outlived its era?

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!

[slicktoast]

Bernie says: chicanes; scrap 'em!! groovies; we need slicks!