Purists will say they failed to recognize Formula 1 during a particularly tumultuous Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. But, they are, it seems, not at the end of their sentence.
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The leaders of the queen category of motorsport have never hidden their intentions to relaunch a discipline that has been in need of a show for too long. With the main objective of creating entertainment intended to attract a new clientele.
They achieved this after a simply chaotic event marked by three interruptions (red flags) and four starts, three of which were stopped.
This third event of the 2023 season, won unsurprisingly by Max Verstappen (Red Bull), was rich in twists and turns, like what she knew how to keep all those brave people awake who watched it live during the night.
Tragedies averted
The question now is whether all those red flags were really justified. In the not so distant past, the safety car would have been deployed to free damaged single-seaters or to remove debris from the track, without however resorting to a red flag which forces the single-seaters to return to the pits.
But since the American company Liberty Media acquired F1, everything has changed. And not necessarily for the better.
The approach has certainly paid off in Australia. We had three standing starts, which remains the highlight in F1.
But this situation is not without risk. In Melbourne, the third restart, with two laps to go, gave rise to heated debates which led to the loss of some drivers including Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
Fortunately, the two teammates within the Alpine team came out unscathed after their accident, but it could have been worse.
Four overtaking zones and… four departures
There have been as many overtaking zones (DRS) in Australia as there have been departures. Unheard of in F1.
Only four races in the history of the discipline have produced three or more starts, according to several credible sources, namely Austria (1987) Belgium (1990), Tuscany (2020) and Saudi Arabia (2021).
Many pilots criticized this decision to display red flags. One of the first to go up to the barricades was Georges Russell, victim of a hasty abandonment following a broken engine in his Mercedes.
“I think the first red flag was not necessary at all. A lot of gravel has accumulated on the track [après la sortie de piste du Thaïlandais Alex Albon], true, but the running line was clear. We have seen much worse in the past,” said the Briton, president of the F1 Drivers Association.
Two weeks earlier in Saudi Arabia, a similar decision had been made by the commissioners following the abandonment of Montrealer Lance Stroll, recalled Russell.
“Stroll’s car was not stopped on the track,” he said. She didn’t bother. I don’t know what is currently going on in the minds of race management to make such gestures. We have to work together to make things better.”
Verstappen adds
We have the impression that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and F1 are no longer on the same wavelength in their decisions.
Verstappen wasn’t kind either: “Using the safety car would have been enough,” he said. All these stopped starts create chaos.”
But hey, how to interpret such comments coming from a driver who took advantage of a similar decision to win his first world title in Abu Dhabi in 2021?
Back in a month
The cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled for April 16 and which will not be replaced on the calendar, means that the next stopover, in Azerbaijan, will only take place in a month.
Time for F1 to review its programming for a weekend of competition. It is whispered that a new format would be developed to, once again, promote a better show on the track.
The first of six sprint races (double last year) will be held in Baku. With the difference that we want to reduce the weekend to a single free practice session which would be presented on Friday morning.
Going forward, there would be a qualifying session on Friday to determine the starting grid for Sunday’s main race. The Saturday schedule would include a qualifying session for the sprint race which would take place in the afternoon of the same day.
The idea is very simple: increase interest to obviously generate more money.
Like in Montreal in 1995
Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix reminded us of a bad memory we had in Montreal almost 30 years ago.
Spectators invaded the track while the race was not over, which prompted some drivers to immobilize their single-seaters after the finish line without being able to complete their lap of honor.
In 1995, thousands of fans had managed to get past security to celebrate on the track the only victory of Jean Alesi (Ferrari) in F1 even before all the cars had finished their course at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
It was said at the time that this situation would never happen again in F1…