The Australian Grand Prix was an incident filled affair that was made worse, or more spectacular, by decisions made by race control. Three red flags and three restarts later, Verstappen won the race, Hamilton finished second and Alonso third.
4k camera tech is now measured in grams. This should be a broadcast mandate already. Add a few centerline 360 dome cameras, and use software to extract the directional picture. Huge safety help, and can add things like LiDAR and such to detect things like tyre temps, and objects on track (like cars hidden by spray in the wet) .
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FIA clamps down on F1 team pitwall fence celebrations
Formula 1 teams now face a penalty threat if any of their personnel climb the pitwall fence during chequered flag celebrations, Motorsport com can reveal.
The move effectively brings the end to a long-standing tradition of team staff waving their successful cars home at the end of races, and will come into force from this weekend’s 2023 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
The new enforcement development began in Melbourne with the release of F1 race director Niels Wittich’s pre-weekend event safety notes, which included the line
“it is forbidden to climb on pitwall debris fence at any time” and referenced Appendix H, Article 2.3.2 of the FIA’s International Sporting Code – rules that are enforced across the motorsport categories sanctioned by the governing body.
Part of the rule that covers this particular situation regarding climbing pitwall fences states that “team personnel are only allowed in the pit lane immediately before they are required to work on a car and must withdraw as soon as the work is complete”.
It continues: “It is forbidden for personnel to climb on pitwall debris fences at any time. Any action by a team breaching this ban will be reported to the stewards.”
Verstappen: Illness in Saudi made me feel I'm "missing a lung”
Red Bull's Max Verstappen has opened up on how much he was affected at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after suffering with an illness earlier that week.
[From the Press Conference]
“I refused to believe it myself for a long time, because at home I was really ill, like I could barely just walk around,” he said of his illness.
“It felt like I was just missing a lung, I got to the weekend really believing that it was gone.
“Because normally when you get sick, like two, three days after you normally arrive, you can just do your workouts.
“But then when I jumped in the car, in FP1, even just one performance lap I felt like I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally.
“So yeah, it definitely did affect me throughout the weekend, which I didn't like, because it was like one of the first races where I just felt like I was physically limited. And that's really frustrating when you're in the car.”
Verstappen said he has subsequently had time to fully recover and anticipates that “this weekend should be alright”.
“Since then, I've been trying to work on it, trying to improve it,” he said.
“And I do think that it has improved a lot. So normally this weekend should be alright.
“I think it was just all coming together, and Jeddah is quite a tough track in general. When you don't feel well it hits hard on you.
“But yeah, these things unfortunately happen, that you catch a virus and stuff. Hopefully, from now for the rest of the year it should be okay.”
Verstappen has never bettered a third-place in Australia, and retired while running second in last year's race, but he’s confident that in the RB19 which has won both of the first two rounds this season he has the strongest package that he’s ever had for the Melbourne race.
“This track I think it just is the last few years we've never really been that good in the beginning of the year,” said Verstappen, who leads the championship by dint of beating Jeddah winner Sergio Perez to the fastest lap last time out.
“So I think if this race would have been different place on the calendar, then probably I would have had a lot better results here. But that's not how it is.
“But yeah, for sure we do need a bit of a good result there.
“I think we have a good chance, of course, for the result. We do need to execute a good weekend.”
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“team personnel are only allowed in the pit lane immediately before they are required to work on a car and must withdraw as soon as the work is complete”.
