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What others are saying:
As cut-throat as F1 has become, drivers
still expect and usually receive gentlemanly behaviour from their peers.
Blocking at the start is the glaring exception, is an unnecessary risk
and should be regulated. I would paint a solid centreline to about 100m
ahead of the grid and disqualify any driver crossing this line on the
start, except under specific circumstances e.g. to pass a stalled car -
Doug - South Africa
We think that some rules should be declared, because each
pilot minds his own success and not his safety and the safety of his colleagues. We give
as an example Michael Schumacher who failed two successive starts (Austria & Germany),
because of stupid mistakes. Besides it is very dangerous, too - Vessie - Bulgaria
Nobody complains if Minardi DRIVERS used the fish tail
movement in front of Peugeot or Arrows cars. It is easy to say and blame the guy in front
for your absence of intuition and reaction. But lets see when the blockage is illegal. If
the front driver changes the line once at time (ie from left to right) to defend his next
action - first turn usually, this is legal. Schumacher style is legal in this point of
view, but the second, third, fourth driver don't agree with this. So if you go left, right
and back left IN FRONT OF YOUR adversary is clearly illegal and can be fatal for
that driver. So Gentlemen lets review France and Austria. You are the judges for your fair
opinion,and you'll find out that the best weapon for defense is to attack. In my opinion
the fish tail is illegal. Plus is not fair play but unfortunately this notion doesn't
exist anymore in the world of Formula One - Marian - Romanian living in USA
I believe drivers should fight it out regardless. The
qualifying trials are very tough at times and there appears to be much strategic planning.
It is the trials that set-up the grid and I believe that that is a fair way to set-up the
staggered start. On tracks where overtaking is tight or impossible (Monaco) for sure there
is going to be a dash to take first spot. That is the excitement of F1! - Joe W -
Indonesia
In response to Elvin's comment that the drivers can correct
their misfortune, I have to disagree. The most obvious example is of course Michael
Schumacher. Hate to break it to you Elvin, but once you're out of the race like Schumi's
been, it's pretty damn hard to 'correct the misfortune.' And Josephine, Schumacher is a
brilliant driver, but not even he saw Fisichella from behind him in time. Charlie Whiting
was perfectly correct declared it legal, but safe is incorrect. It shouldn't be legal, and
it's definitely not safe. Sorry to be harsh, but it's obvious to me that something has to
be done about it. As I said before, and as several other have as well, if an accident due
to blocking occurs within either a set time or, as Miker suggested, the first lap, the
race should be restarted. I'm sure everyone is aware of the tragedy in the waste of so
much money, effort and time of such incidents. I know formula 1 is never fair, but aren't
rules designed to make it as fair and safe as possible? - Callista - Australia
I think that when they wrote the rule it was assumed that
blocking happened sometime after the first turn - Jim - USA
I think that blocking tactics at the start of a race should
not be declared illegal, because Formula One is a race that mixes together the skills and
talent of the individual pilot and the strategy of the entire team. Since blocking is an
item of all the strategies in sports, why it should be banned at Formula 1?
Also a final point. Since all the F1 pilots are stars (in
driving), they all are capable to manage such a situation, and since each Grand Prix is
more than 305 km long, they have enough time and road ahead to correct "the
misfortune" of being blocked by any driver - Elvin M - Albania
No, I think skillful drivers are able to avoid bumping into
each other. I think Schumacher is a brilliant driver! - Josephine - Malaysia
It is Formula 1 Racing. Too much control is not expected.
Depending on the race track, if the start line has a dangerous corner. I think rolling
start is necessary. That will promise that the qualifying session is meaningful. Also we
like to see different start methods during the season - Humane W - Taiwan
If race tracks continue to be laid out with tight corners
close to the start line then there will be no way to enforce a rule preventing
blocking moves. On the other hand if the start line was followed by a 180 mph straight
before the first corner then you have the probability of bigger and better pile ups! Take
your pick! - Arthur W - USA
This is Formula One, right? F1 has the best drivers in the
world. The stakes are high and end results are what counts. That means a driver will
eventually try anything within the limitations of rules to win. So, Coulthard's surprise
move on Schuey was suppose to give David an edge, but it backfired. Mika was there to take
advantage of it. Blocking is a legit strategy when it works. It is done in every team
sport
Also, if there is a wreck on the first lap the race should be restarted - Miker -
USA
u have to remember that the start of the race (besides pit
strategy) is the most important part of the race ... if cars were able to pass during the
race, I think you'd see a lot less of these maneuvers at the start ... I like the idea of
red flagging the race a certain time after the race starts (due to a crash) ... and also
... if u hold ur line and someone swerves in-front of u ... u hold your line ... then let
FIA see incar camera views of those involved in the crash and let them determine fault
(and hope they get it right) - Jimmy M - USA
I think that there is nothing wrong with a driver choosing
his line even if that brings him in front of another driver. However, I believe that once
he has chosen his line he should not be allowed to move across again. It is a rule which I
thought was official but needs to be controlled with heavier penalties. Senna was an
expert at weaving from side to side... Bruno A - Australia
I agree with Callista 100%, blocking is all part of F1 and
team tactics. Hence the old saying "If you can't take the heat stay out of the
kitchen." However I also agree that if two or more drivers crash out of the race on
the first lap, the race should automatically be red flagged and a restart permitted - Brown
Dog - Arabian Gulf
It should definitely not be declared illegal. Formula 1 is
all about being the best, even if that means moving to a line that happens to block
someone. But something should be done about the unfortunate that crash and are
consequently pulled out of the race.
For the beginning of races, I believe that all crashes within a set time should be red
flagged if it wasn't the fault of the otherwise retired drivers - Callista -
Australia
Coulthard's move at the start in Germany was outrageous,
however he was clearly trying to make a point and Schumacher's spin was not directly
related.
I don't think blocking in this way should be outlawed,
simply because in the long run it will be shown that the drivers that do this more often
than not do not gain from it (remember Coulthard did not lead into the first corner) -
Dunder - Hong Kong
Blocking another driver in starting race is not a gentlemen
move, each driver should maintain their line up to certain distance before they
could split other line. Probably after 500m of starting grid - Frankie - Malaysia
Intentional blocking at the race start should be banned.
It's not tolerated in the race so why at the start. It isn't good for racing
and could result in a serious accident and injury. It could also been seen as
"playing team orders" - Matthew M - Australia
well I think it ok, so long the driver know how to control
their car, and I think one of the reason that what make formula 1, one of the most
dangerous machine - Sharifah - Singapore |
