2007 Rules: Safety Car

''No car will be allowed to enter the pits during a safety car period until all cars are in the group following the safety car. This prevents drivers from racing to the pits immediately after a safety car is deployed. In addition, any lapped cars in front of a car on the lead lap will be required to pass the safety car and restart at the end of the line-up instead of maintaining their physical position''


I never knew of this? Who else didn't know?

This is a HUGE help and benefit to slower teams, and makes more for racing and less of tactical play!

Basically, lapped cars will get the opportunity to play catchup!

Also will give drivers on the lead lap in front a CLEAN run to race eachother if needs be, without tussling in and out of slower cars.

FANTASTIC! :D


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it

This prevents drivers from racing to the pits immediately after a safety car is deployed
I think they did that (mainly) for safety reasons, but laped cars will still race to catch up to the back end of the field?!

rules, rules, rules. ridiculous. F1 is getting too much complicated nowadays. Since 1994 i am against the safety car, they dont provide enough speed for the drivers to heat their tyres, they cool down any exciting moment of a race, and a parade car lap is bloody boring.

And now they came with this rule, which is unfair with the leaders, because they raced that much to lap them, to see their effort destroyed by a safety car deployed because of an accident? Drivers who need this kind of help to unlap back arent good drivers then, are they? blah.

And then they forbid the cars to pit when a SC is deployed. huh, how original. Now they killed one of the most important strategies just to let us see a boring parade lap waiting for the others to be on the lead lap?!

WTF is happening with F1??? First these bloody awful liveries, then teams copying cars, team orders, and then this thing?

OMG. I am so disappointed. ** going back to TV to watch the 1991 F1 Season review **

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"I'm an artist, the track is my canvas, and the car is my brush."

Oy! Too much caffeine today??

F1 is turning into Champ Car in many ways:

1. Car Power is about the same (730HP)
2. Safety Car Rules
3. The DPO1 is similar to some of the cars
4. Tyre Rules (teams have to use 1 hard and 1 soft compund during a race, like CCWS)

This could add one or two more laps to mid-race safety car periods for small accidents (like the ones we get at Melbourne). Yes, the lapped cars will be speeding around the track to catch up again, but this has already been happening previously with cars coming out of the pits.

Hopefully the standard ECU (when it is introduced) will remove the need for a safety car and (for example) limit the engine revs just between the corners where the accident has occured.

But this rule should make Melbourne a confusing race as usual!

Wasn't this rule new last year? I can't remember which, but it was either for 2006 or was announced before the season was over.

Sensible-ish rule I guess, but it can take away another variable. Probably won't make any real difference.

It was changed after turkey I think.

The whole thing about lapped cars catching up to the back of the field - AFAIK they're not allowed to unlap themselves and then go driving round to catch up, because that negates the whole point of the safety car being on-track. I am convinced (though by nothing more than intuition ) that they would have to stay in line, providing that the lead car is the one directly behind the safety car.

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The lap cars go past the leader to the back of the pack but they dont get the lap back.

I would have thought it was safer for them to move over and let the leaders pass than pass them and the saftey car.

yeah this was announced last year, can't remember if it was before the end of the season or just after the end. but for implementation for 2007.

will try to find the thread...

EDIT: found it: [www.grandprixgames.org]

was just a few days before the last race of '06.

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RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2007 02:33PM by Muks_C.

Since 1994 i am against the safety car, they dont provide enough speed for the drivers to heat their tyres, they cool down any exciting moment of a race, and a parade car lap is bloody boring.

Oh, come on. You can't be against safety cars because your hero died after one. What should they do when a massive crash a la Melbourne 2002 occurs, but then in the middle of the race? Stop it?

And now they came with this rule, which is unfair with the leaders, because they raced that much to lap them, to see their effort destroyed by a safety car deployed because of an accident? Drivers who need this kind of help to unlap back arent good drivers then, are they? blah.

This will actually help the leaders. If Raikkonen and Button are first and second, but some kamikaze SA driver is in between them, you don't even know how fast you should complain about him not moving aside fast enough.

And then they forbid the cars to pit when a SC is deployed. huh, how original. Now they killed one of the most important strategies

You can pit when a SC is deployed, but only when all the cars are behind it. I think this will provide better racing and interesting situations. Will you continue and retain your place, or will you pit and fall back?

just to let us see a boring parade lap waiting for the others to be on the lead lap?!

What should be done then? Letting drivers drive 250 on a piece of track which has loads of debris on it?

WTF is happening with F1??? First these bloody awful liveries, then teams copying cars, team orders, and then this thing?

You are overdoing it a bit here, you should get more sleep :P

I dont agree with the rule about sending backmarkers to the back of the line. when SC is deplyed the leader already loses the advantage he has worked to gain over his rivals. Sending any backmarkers, who whould have been there even if SC didnt come out, to the back of the line only acts as an artificial aid to the racing. And I dont believe that is good for the sport.

Although contrary to what senna believes SC greatly help safety and keep races moving. Now that F1 has a control tyre also it should be designed to be able to function under SC conditions.

And senna, one day you claim that Seena death was caused due to a faulty steering rack made by williams and now you are complaining that its because it was due to the temperatures being too low after a SC?

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Lol! The safety car is a great idea and has helped to keep races going when otherwise lots of time would be wasted on restarts and so on like in the '80s.

I prefered restarts at the start of a race.

Even with the saftey car they have still stopped races due to a crash or rain.

I can only remember 2 races being stopped mid race since 1989 when i watched f1 to 1994. France 1992 rain, porugal 1990.

Now that F1 has a control tyre also it should be designed to be able to function under SC conditions.

I think there isn't a controle tyre anymore. That was one of the reasons why the USA GP 05 only had 6 cars.

Yes but from 2007 Bridgestone is the sole tyre supplier.and as they have no competition they should design tyres that function at safety car pace as well as full race pace.

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best way is get rid of tyre warmers, then the tyres would start cold but heat up but be ok when cold as the ride height would be heigher.

Ah, yes, forgot about that

the cars will still have problems under SC though...

Am I right in saying F1 tyres are only inflated a little over 1atm lol ??

So operating at SC is abit difficult lol, and obv, at racing speeds all is ok.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL