Baku - Not Needed !

[Massa 0]

LMP1s used to be open cockpit. Now, they are closed. When the transition started, sports car fans all speculated that drivers were going to be trapped in their cars and never be able to be extracted and they'd all burn to death/bleed out when medical staff couldn't get to them.

I can't think of a single situation that has happened since the LMP1s closed the cockpits that it has actually been a problem. Turns out the people who make these decisions consider all these things and design accordingly.

And then you look at NASCAR, which has a very, very, very, very good safety record since the early 2000s. Did you know that NASCAR vehicles, fully enclosed, have no doors? And no roof hatch? The only ways to extract a driver are to do it through the window (the "window" is actually a detachable net; it contains the driver, but comes off to get in/out) or by cutting off the roof. I imagine a NASCAR-spec stock car is the least extract-able car in top-tier racing. But I've never once heard anyone suggest NASCAR change something about it—and NASCAR has had a lot more fiery, upside-down kind of wrecks. This halo wouldn't even come close to that level of difficulty.

But hell, what do I know? Seat belts and the HANS device add time to a driver's extraction, whether under his/her own power or by medical staff. So, we should do away with seat belts and the HANS, because those extra few seconds could be the difference between life and death in a fire/bleeding injury situation!

There forgetting one thing, there trying to make a dangerous sport safe and no matter what is done, you can't erase that element of danger so why not make them more appealing to the eye and take f1 for what it is.

"I might die in my sleep tonight, so I'm going to do 150 mph on my motorcycle stark-naked on ice!"

I think everyone knows that F1 will never be 100% safe, but it is lazy to not try to achieve 99.999% safety just because 100% safety is impossible. It's hard to make the argument that there isn't a material difference between an on-track fatality once every 20 years and an on-track fatality a few times each season. Yet if we had the attitude toward safety that, because nothing will be perfect, we shouldn't do anything, we'd still be there, with drivers dying all the time. That "logic" comes across as: Why have a medical staff at the track if there are going to be accidents where drivers are dead instantly? Why have fences in front of fans when debris has cleared or penetrated them before? Why have helmets when we still have head injuries? Why have fireproof overalls when people still get burns? Etc, etc, etc. We all know the answer to those questions—because these safety precautions reduce the bad outcomes. Don't prevent, but reduce. And a reduction is pretty damn meaningful.

If you care more about cars being appealing to your eyes than you do competitor safety, you're on the wrong side of this one. It is totally fair to argue, as you have earlier, that you don't think this will improve safety. That's fair. I don't agree, but I think it's fair to say, "Look, only do this if it is actually making it safer, and I don't think it does." Fine. But when your argument is, "Well, it looks bad, and I don't like that!"...well, that's just not even a comparison. Try telling Justin Wilson's family that, sad as their loss is, it had to happen because the cars would be too ugly if they did anything about it.

[Sakae 0]

re: safety

We learn as time passes, and technology strides facilitates better protection, however returning back to Bianchi case, I am not going to elaborate on my understanding of it, but restrict to say so much, that more could have been done just reorganizing certain procedures, not to say for very good reasons VSC could have been introduced several years ago based on existing technology - but wasn't. Bianchi's death was avoidable, and that's a burden we bear.

[Quiet One 15]

Safety evolves and adapts to the new risks. Before the 80s, your biggest risk was being trapped in what esentially was a fuel bomb with wheels. That is not the case anymore. Cars barely ever catch fire, and when they do, they usually spread slowly enopugh to give time for the driver to get out of the car.

On the other hand, the biggest accidents in the past years were related to the exposed parts of the body in a car, i.e.: the head, mostly. Massa's eye and Bianchi's and De Villota's heads. You can never prevent all accidents, because impredictability is inherent to accidents.

So, the sensible thing to do, and it is being done, is to focus on what is the most probable scenario and try to prevent that one. Nowadays, head protection is a bigger priority, precisely because past development minimized the usual sight of a fireball down the main straight.

Is halo ugly? So was the HANS device, yet probably saved us the sight of many drivers on wheelchairs paralized from the waist down in the past years.

This is a risky sport, but using that as an excuse for recklessness or disregard for peoples' lives is plain stupid.

I like how many fans want drivers to take unnecessary risks just so they can watch them sitting on their couchs and still say they feel sorry Ayrton is dead.

[Emmcee 0]

First I all aurton survived the initial impact, it was suspension debris that pierced his helmet and killed him, same thing could happen right now. I also think people are taking my comment a tad out of context. Iam for safety but when it alters the way the sport is run, it's wrong IMO. It's like saying well boxers can get brain damage or break a facial bone so let's make them wear helmets. People have accepted the risk involved and IMO f1 needs to be the same. Not drivers dying every weekend but I can't see why it can't run like it did in the 90s, the circuits can't get any safer now, you don't even get punished more making a mistake due to the run offs. Also I don't think all LMP1 cars are closed c#ckpit are they? Some LMP2 cars are still open.

[radical-one 0]

Hope this circuit wouldn't be as boring as I think.

My first 6 predictions ;

- Nico
- Vettel
- Ric
- Kimi
- Masa
- Max

Lewis - DNF

[Sakae 0]

IMHO in Baku we might see potentially about nine cars in contention.

At least one Williams, Ferrari, RBR, TR, and Mercedes. (In no particular order). Having said that, FI might emerge as a spoiler, holding someone up.

[Emmcee 0]

New circuit, jam not making any predictions till I atleast see a practice session or two. It's unknown to everyone.

[Sakae 0]

Circuit encompasses over 2 km straight, very narrow sections, and extremely wide sections. It sounds like a circuit where cars can overtake. Hamilton is gloomy, Vettel withheld his judgment.

[radical-one 0]

AZERBAIJAN GP

Drivers uncertain over new Baku F1 circuit layout

http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/569234/Drivers_uncertain_over_new_Baku_F1_circuit_layout/

[Emmcee 0]

Well just have to wait and see

[radical-one 0]

here comes tire trouble

Pirelli fears standing wave issues on Baku's straights

[Emmcee 0]

What they talking about the crest in the middle of the road?

[Ruslan 0]

Actually, I think it is kind of cool that they are holding a race in Baku. Sort of fits the spirit of F1 to go to places that most people have never been. It has always been about exotic cars in exotic places. Hope it will be a good race.

[Emmcee 0]

Bernie goes to who will pay his ridiculous fees. He would hold a race on Uranus if he could lmao.

[Sakae 0]

This circuit is a city venue, yet Bottas crossed a finish line having clocked 366 [km/hr]. How about that driving over city-wide speed limit of 50..?

[Sakae 0]

For those who do think "Baku is not needed", this is what F1 "supremo" thinks:

http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/06/18/ecclestone-north-america-is-a-sht-hole-compared-to-baku/

[Emmcee 0]

I think it's a fantastic circuit, at least it has some character with the tight section and those fast sweeping corners, can't wait to have a go on it on the simulator.

[radical-one 0]

11 hours ago, Sakae said:

For those who do think "Baku is not needed", this is what F1 "supremo" thinks:

http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/06/18/ecclestone-north-america-is-a-sht-hole-compared-to-baku/

Well we all know that Bernie has Sh!t for brains. full stop.

[radical-one 0]

At least 8 cars will dnf due to crash tomorrow and there will be at least 3 Safety car instances

[Sakae 0]

A lot of people are predicting high attrition rate during a race. On that note I am merely hoping that multiple cars pile up will be avoided, and my horse will stay in the clear. I think it was Perez, who has characterized this track as a most challenging one to race on this season.

[Emmcee 0]

We saw Hamilton get a little greedy in qualify and look what happened, just brushed the wall and was out.

[radical-one 0]

2 hours ago, Emmcee said:

We saw Hamilton get a little greedy in qualify and look what happened, just brushed the wall and was out.

Karma for saying that other drivers are moaning. He will end up moaning 

[radical-one 0]

3 hours ago, Sakae said:

A lot of people are predicting high attrition rate during a race. On that note I am merely hoping that multiple cars pile up will be avoided, and my horse will stay in the clear. I think it was Perez, who has characterized this track as a most challenging one to race on this season.

Who is your horse?

[Emmcee 0]

It's good because he will be ultra weary about the corner now.

[radical-one 0]

if he crashes I will celebrate ! I hate that P@nk Lewis