What changes should be made to the rules for lapped cars in F1?

[i70q7m7ghw]

In view of the recent incident at the Brazilian GP, do the rules for lapped cars need reviewing in F1?

[TwanV]

No change, drivers in P16 with no chance of points should know their place (and position).

[marmer]

what about lapped cars looking to unlap should only do so on straights not into a braking zone

[i70q7m7ghw]

what about lapped cars looking to unlap should only do so on straights not into a braking zone

Hmm, interesting, maybe they should get given extra DRS to make it possible?

No change, drivers in P16 with no chance of points should know their place (and position).

Pretty sure there are plenty of examples of people coming back from P16 or lower to score points and/or win the race.

[TwanV]

what about lapped cars looking to unlap should only do so on straights not into a braking zone

Hmm, interesting, maybe they should get given extra DRS to make it possible?

No change, drivers in P16 with no chance of points should know their place (and position).

Pretty sure there are plenty of examples of people coming back from P16 or lower to score points and/or win the race.

not being 1 lap down

[marvin78]

The rules are just fine. The people who do not think without bias have a problem, that's all.

[JonoNic]

So if a fast car has issues at the start and then goes a lap down then he should just give up? Keep the rules as is.

[Phil]

Aren't some overreacting a bit? By definition, both Ocon and Max were not really racing. One was a lap down fighting for points, the other a lap ahead for the win. It's like the opposite scenario: The leader coming up on cars he is about to lap. Is he racing them? Answer: No, he isn't. It's a formality situation, the blue flags are waved and the leading car passes when it is safe to do so. You don't see hostility against one another.

When a faster lapped car comes and unlaps himself, the same applies. The leading car should think twice about racing the car that he is unlapping himself because they aren't really racing. It should be a formality. For some reason, Max didn't want to let Ocon unlap himself, despite seeing him for 1.5 laps coming closer and closer from behind. When Ocon attempted the pass on the long straight, Max even went off the racing line to the inside, the dirty side of the track to seemingly defend his position. Why? He was over 2s ahead of Hamilton at that point (gap increasing), on better tires in what clearly was the quicker car. Instead, he decided to race Ocon for position and both ended up going side by side into the Senna-S curves before they made contact.

As for the poll - I think blue flags should apply both to cars being unlapped or when cars are being lapped (both directions). If anything, keep them as they are. The real problem about the Brazil incident is the fact that Max feels he needs to fight hard for every single position, even against cars he isn't really racing.

[TwanV]

He was over 2s ahead of Hamilton at that point (gap increasing), on better tires in what clearly was the quicker car.

We all know but seem to have forgotten suddenly that following a car leads to a massive lap time disadvantage and increased tire degradation. And 2 seconds is nothing.

After yesterday I would suggest an alternative option: To have some interteam comms so that a leading driver can explicitly allow backmarkers to pass, but without permission the lapped driver is to stay put.

[santos]

Let's change the rules because my driver lost the race, it's not the right aproach.
Max lost race also because of himself. He saw Ocon coming, he knew he was faster. He had to protect himself from Hamilton, not from Ocon.

[TwanV]

I don't care who the subject is, this case is black and white for me. There shouldn't be a rule change, but apparently it is needed because P16 can have delusions of grandeur these days.

[i70q7m7ghw]

Let's change the rules because my driver lost the race, it's not the right aproach.

Who's driver? I think Max was in the wrong and deserved to lose the race, he should have just let Ocon through.

[TAG]

How many times have we seen something like this in the sport? A thread suggesting changing the fundamentals of the sport because Max Verstappen is a one dimensional racer, really? Anyway, I would have voted for the Red Bull sit Verstappen down and slap some sense into him but I didn't see it on the poll.

[TwanV]

I don't care who the subject is, this case is black and white for me. There shouldn't be a rule change, but apparently it is needed because P16 can have delusions of grandeur these days.

how nice, an anonymous downvote.

[Phil]

I don't care who the subject is, this case is black and white for me. There shouldn't be a rule change, but apparently it is needed because P16 can have delusions of grandeur these days.

You're right, it doesn't matter who the subject is. The problem is in a way self-inflicted. We have different tires that allow different strategies and variety which in turn leads to the scenario that at some point, a midfield car can end up being significantly quicker than the top6 cars. Circumstance could lead to this happening to a car that is/was lapped already.

In 2012 (I think), this didn't happen to a 'midfield' car, but to Lewis Hamilton, who through circumstance ended up being lapped and then came out behind the leaders with much better pace. He then too 'unlapped' himself.

If it matters that the car is P16 who is unlapping himself, you could just as well say that any car outside the top10 can just as well park their cars and no longer race, since "no one cares". Obviously, no one wants that, so therefore, we can and should expect those cars to be fighting for every tenth just as the front guys are.

If circumstance then brings them together, it's utterly stupid if the lead car is 'racing' that lapped car (who is quicker at that stage of the race), just as it would be stupid if a car that is being lapped and shown blue flags to be racing the leaders who are coming through for position. Ergo, I think it's safe to say, Max was racing the wrong car. By also driving defensive (as in, going to the inside into T1), he got on the dirty side of the track, picked up marbles and compromised his "race" with Hamilton. He should have just yielded, let Ocon through and concentrate on managing his race against the guy he was racing.

Everyone on the grid I think gets this, just Max didn't? I am quite frankly baffled why Ocon was punished with the 10s stop&go, because this is seriously sending the wrong signal.