Mechanics sweep dirty side of track for start? (merged)

[Logrence]

Couldn't they have a street sweeper race with celebs and that?

It would certainly solve part of the problem of a lack of entertainment outside of the F1 races...

[Logrence]

Wouldn't they just spin everything into the way of the person behind?

[Glen]

When Ron Dennis looked down his nose and called the Heathrow agreement teams the "Track Cleaners" I'm sure he didn't expect them (Renault & Jaguar in particular) to be cleaning the track for their own benefit and starting the race ahead of his own cars! If anyone wants a nice clean start all they've got to do is start on pole...

[Attila]

In Hungary the problem was dust and wind. The Hungaroring stuff did employ street sweepers, but the wind blewed ( :-)) maybe not the right word or spelling ) everything right back. Hungaroring is practicly a big natural dust bag, it comes from the nature of the area where the 'ring is built. It is sad, but than again there should not be an F1 race held at that circuit at all, this is the smallest problem among many.

[Jay]

Originally posted by 903cc
In my opinion the drivers should realise that they have a 50% chance of starting on the Dirty line. Why not do a significant percentage of your laps to clean it up? IF all the drivers put in say just 10 laps each on the dirty side then that is 200 cars going down there that should help a bit.

They already do this in the warm up..at least they used to.

that's really the only thing that'll work. It's not the dirt on the track, but the lack of rubber buildup. Odds are the racing line will have as much dust and dirt, as it wouldn't have been raced on for hours.

[R]

Sunday morning warm-up was used (partly) to clean the dirty side of the track and get some rubber laid down there by those drivers starting on that side. Now that we don't have a Sunday morning warm-up anymore, I don't know when/if anyone goes off the racing line to get some rubber laid down on that side...

[903cc]

More I think about it the more I think tough for the drivers. That is the circuit. We are not staging races in ideal circumstances anywhere else. No single track is perfect. If you want to become world champion get over it.

[Bononi]

Originally posted by 903cc
More I think about it the more I think tough for the drivers. That is the circuit. We are not staging races in ideal circumstances anywhere else. No single track is perfect. If you want to become world champion get over it.

Classic.

[Sodemo]

Maybe if the track organisers fitted water sprinklers around the oustide of the track near the start grid, that would wet the surrounding ground, and wouldn't create the dust.

[The Zuschauer]

I don't think that there's really any rubber laid down on the clean side of the track - everyone is travelling in a completely straight line, without spinning wheels, so there'll be minimal rubber.

Sweeping the circuit is really all that can be done. I don't recall seeing any mechanics with brooms while the cars sit on the grid, so I assume there is a rule against them sweeping the track in front of their own car.

Remember when launch control was legalised? After the warm up there was a small amount of time where cars were allowed to test their launch control systems on the main staight, and they tended to do it at their own grid position. Maybe the start procedure could be altered slightly, to allow the cars to do this about 15-30 minutes before the actual start of the race (before the mechanics etc are on the grid). It would be interesting to see how much work teams put into tuning their launch control.

[Onlooker]

But what if a "junior team member,who was acting alone,and no longer employed by the team" used a broom to sweep up some spilled liquid from the track,that would have eveaoprated anyway.

[The Zuschauer]

I'm afraid that everyone on the grid has special passes, and if you have a team pass, then that team is responsible for you.

So the whole "oh, he doesn't work for us any more" argument wouldn't last long.

[spearce]

I seem to remember a number of teams using paper towels on the grid before the start of a wet race somewhere - where/when was that anyone ???

[Knowlesy]

I think that when two drivers get identical times, as Montoya and Barrichello did, the driver who posted it first should get to choose what side of the grid he starts on.

[Bononi]

Originally posted by knowlesy
I think that when two drivers get identical times, as Montoya and Barrichello did, the driver who posted it first should get to choose what side of the grid he starts on.

Nope.

The driver who posted it first gets in front of the other...

[Sodemo]

Originally posted by The Zuschauer
I'm afraid that everyone on the grid has special passes, and if you have a team pass, then that team is responsible for you.

So the whole "oh, he doesn't work for us any more" argument wouldn't last long.

Couldn't the team get a staff member a pass, then while he is on the grid, sack him and then he can do it on his own

[Knowlesy]

Originally posted by Bononi
Nope.

The driver who posted it first gets in front of the other...

Yeah, but Barrichello had the better side of the track and so had the advantage over Juan, who himself should have had the advantage!

[spearce]

There's another simple solution, let drivers choose grid slot - fastest chooses pole, 2nd fastest would choose P3, 3rd fastest has choice of P5 or P2, etc.

[The Zuschauer]

Spearce - I like your idea, but I think it makes it too confusing for the spectators. They want to know that the grid is simply the fastest car at the front, and so on. It's my main complaint about the one lap qualifying system - it doesn't necessarily mean the fastest car is at the front (however, if they allowed refuelling, it would be much better).

Plus, the fastest car at the front is a matter of safety.

[spearce]

Safety .......... like at Hockenheim !!!

How about scrapping qualifying altogether, and allowing drivers to choose where to start from and giving bonus points for each car overtaken - on the circuit not in the pits !

[Bononi]

We have been throwing ideas about the qualifying, but in the end the old system is the best !

[shiny side up!]

At every race i have ever been to, from F1 to karts, there is an effort made via street sweepers or big blowers or even brooms to clear off as much dust or dirt as possible. But the 'dirty' side of the grid will never be quite as good as the clean side, it is a fact of racing. In the many forms of motorsport that use rolling starts, this is not a big problem (until you get to Turn 1!), but a standing start really highlights the traction difference...