IDEAS THREAD - Post your ideas about improvements to penalties and driver notification systems here!

[NathanOlder]

Yeah that'll work. Just a pitlane closed light/LED on the steering wheel is enough.

[hollus]

Taking it to the absurd extreme, the driver is expected to drive the car “alone and unaided”. That surely means no pit stops at all unless the driver will service the car himself (or herself). No pit stops, no pit stop entry. Problem solved.

More seriously, it is as simple as race control talking to the teams themselves (not to the drivers). This is race control: safety car deployed and pit lane entry closed. It would also take Masi less time than whatever he is doing now. IMO.

[Wass85]

Taking it to the absurd extreme, the driver is expected to drive the car “alone and unaided”. That surely means no pit stops at all unless the driver will service the car himself (or herself). No pit stops, no pit stop entry. Problem solved.

More seriously, it is as simple as race control talking to the teams themselves (not to the drivers). This is race control: safety car deployed and pit lane entry closed. It would also take Masi less time than whatever he is doing now. IMO.

Yes if we're going to make it really simple then just close the pit lane whenever a SC is deployed and only use it if there's been a crash or if there's debris on the pit straight.

[Wass85]

I just think that if drivers were given warning lights on their screen along with a message from race control then we could even do away with the SC.

Of course the SC certainly spices up a race so they wouldn't consider doing that in a month of Sunday's.

[SiLo]

Great to see a lot of discussion around this. I certainly think there could be improvements made to the announcement system. Someone on reddit posted the length of time it took for all teams to realise the pit entry was closed. Mercedes was about 3 seconds too late with Hamilton, and some teams had to be told by the drivers!

[PlatinumZealot]

Drivers have a big ole LCD screen and all sorts of flashy lights on the dash. Put a couple lights on top of the dash or steering wheel or whatever to signifiy these most important messages for the driver. Red Flag... yellows. Green.. Pitlane closed.. Purple You have fastest lap etc.

Actually, a nice big motorway style LCD display at the start of the straight with messages like 'PITLANE CLOSED' or LAST LAP, would be easy to impliment

I know right. And they have jumbo-trons showing guys pouring milk on themselves and doing shoeys! Lol

[Big Tea]

Drivers have a big ole LCD screen and all sorts of flashy lights on the dash. Put a couple lights on top of the dash or steering wheel or whatever to signifiy these most important messages for the driver. Red Flag... yellows. Green.. Pitlane closed.. Purple You have fastest lap etc.

Actually, a nice big motorway style LCD display at the start of the straight with messages like 'PITLANE CLOSED' or LAST LAP, would be easy to impliment

I know right. And they have jumbo-trons showing guys pouring milk on themselves and doing shoeys! Lol

Ah, and I thought I had something new

[SiLo]

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... 7IkGi.html

Great explanation as to why they missed it and how they have internal systems to notify them of when things like this occur.

[OO7]

Drivers have a big ole LCD screen and all sorts of flashy lights on the dash. Put a couple lights on top of the dash or steering wheel or whatever to signifiy these most important messages for the driver. Red Flag... yellows. Green.. Pitlane closed.. Purple You have fastest lap etc.

Actually, a nice big motorway style LCD display at the start of the straight with messages like 'PITLANE CLOSED' or LAST LAP, would be easy to impliment

What if there was a Webber type accident and a car hit the gantry?

If it's possible to have start lights on a gantry, I don't see why something similar couldn't be done for the pitlane.

[adrianjordan]

Message on steering wheel seems easiest to me.

Or at least put the trackside warnings in a position where the driver's eyeliner would be. I don't know about anyone else, but I was always taught to look where you're going!! Looking to the left on a high speed right hand bend would not make sense.

[adrianjordan]

Tyre changes during red flag periods.

Seems to me that the fairest option would be to add a time penalty to the total race time of any driver who did not take a pit stop during the race equal to the fastest pit stop of the other competitors. That way the driver would have time to try and make up the lost time a little bit during the rest of the race. Especially as the field would spread out more and so it wouldn't just drop them to the back of the pack.

[SiLo]

Tyre changes during red flag periods.

Seems to me that the fairest option would be to add a time penalty to the total race time of any driver who did not take a pit stop during the race equal to the fastest pit stop of the other competitors. That way the driver would have time to try and make up the lost time a little bit during the rest of the race. Especially as the field would spread out more and so it wouldn't just drop them to the back of the pack.

I like this idea, people that pit before were lucky and had already lost that time, it's only fair that others get the same as well. In the case that no pitstops have been taken, there would be simply no penalty!

[Wass85]

Tyre changes during red flag periods.

Seems to me that the fairest option would be to add a time penalty to the total race time of any driver who did not take a pit stop during the race equal to the fastest pit stop of the other competitors. That way the driver would have time to try and make up the lost time a little bit during the rest of the race. Especially as the field would spread out more and so it wouldn't just drop them to the back of the pack.

I would hate that idea tbh, anything with time penalties count me out. How about they close the pit lane in the event of the SC, why complicate things when this is so simple to implement?

[hollus]

In that case everytime there is a safety car it is the guy who stopped for tires early hoping for a hail Mary who benefits.
Or the race ends under safety car conditions and the guy who planned on stopping in the last lap gets disqualified.
Or you pick up a puncture and cannot enter the pit lane, so you spread carbon fiber everywhere for 3 laps.

It is rare that a solution fits all situations.

[KeiKo403]

I know the comments in here relate to the topic of DNS - Driver Notification Systems, F1 loves an acronym!

Counter argument...what's wrong with the current system? All teams got the notification and all teams acted accordingly, I say all because Kimi & Valtteri stayed out. 2 teams got it 50% wrong. 2 cars got a penalty. This gave us a great race, embrace the random human mistakes factor in this sport, these moments are all too rare given F1 is so data driven and clinical.

I do have a question though, if the pitlane entrance is closed, why not close the exit too? If cars are already in the pit lane then give a 30 second buffer for folks already in the pitlane prior to closing the exit.