US Grand Prix boss favours artificial rain

[Resi Respati]

2012 US Grand Prix organiser Tavo Hellmund has admitted he thinks Bernie Ecclestone's idea to spice up Formula One with artificial rain is "brilliant".

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[ufunacaoenn]

I read it yesterday and it was quite intresting to hear about artificial rain. Really looking forward to this.

 

[Kevin Ascher]

WHAT?!
One of those "Bernie ideas" again..
No, thanks.

 

[Chris Butcher]

Ridiculous idea. Please leave it out

 

[ufunacaoenn]

But why now, I mean how many wet races do you normally see in F1 nowadays?

 

[Kevin Ascher]

Because it is simply ridiculous.

I assume that it will be mandatory to wear animal costumes from 2015 on.
The driver that scored the most points in the last race will have to wear the most ridiculous costume in the next race.
Like that:
1st : pink grizzly bear
2nd : three headed giraffe
3rd : green zebra
and so on...

 

[Chris Butcher]

Next the FIA will have a self-destruct button to randomly fail someone's engine

 

[ufunacaoenn]

Ok you guys are over doing it. Let's look this from a serious perspective.

 

[Chris Butcher]

It's dangerous. Loads of cars out there on slick tyres which are useless on a wet surface....recipe for disaster

 

[Adam Eggbeer]

In a time when F1 wants to lower costs, adding sprinkler systems to every track is going to be expensive. At the end of the day, it will never happen as they well know. Bernie just wants to get people talking about F1 again before the season starts. He did the same with the Medal system a couple of years back.

 

[ufunacaoenn]

In a time when F1 wants to lower costs, adding sprinkler systems to every track is going to be expensive. At the end of the day, it will never happen as they well know. Bernie just wants to get people talking about F1 again before the season starts. He did the same with the Medal system a couple of years back.

What is the Medal System?

It's dangerous. Loads of cars out there on slick tyres which are useless on a wet surface....recipe for disaster

Btw I belive the stewards you tell the teams that in 10 minutes there will be rain so that the teams will be expecting the rain and not kill the drivers like that. (Just a theory since it looks like this system won't be deplayed)

 

[Reik Major]

Because it is simply ridiculous.

I assume that it will be mandatory to wear animal costumes from 2015 on.
The driver that scored the most points in the last race will have to wear the most ridiculous costume in the next race.
Like that:
1st : pink grizzly bear
2nd : three headed giraffe
3rd : green zebra
and so on...

LOL!!!! :tongue: :wink:

Ok you guys are over doing it. Let's look this from a serious perspective.

Georgios, you have to give in he's over doing it very funny, isn't he? And his exaggeration can be interpreted as a serious rhetorical way to show in which direction things can develope, if the organizers are over doing it, too!

I also think this idea is bull****! The more you make the result happening by luck, the more it becomes uninteresting for the viewers, I think. Nothing against some "real" rain events to spyce things up, but this "real" component of surprise is what makes it so interesting.

If you know they travel to a track, which can offer this "artifical" rain, you still won't be surprised if it rains. And the predictability like in real life (watching clouds and radar) isn't the same, so it doesn't pay of for those guys, who have a better feeling for guessing the weather in real life.

Plus it is dangerous...

 

[ufunacaoenn]

I just like the idea because I am so bored that F1 doesn't have that much rain during the races. I love rain (well you know me) and would like to see more races on rain then on dry because in some tracks the rain use to cut of the big difference in any cars performance. (not always but in some tracks it does)

 

[Reik Major]

I understand your wish, but if you don't want differences in car performance you just need to hand out one uniform car model. I don't think this is the way for Formula 1.

 

[ufunacaoenn]

I understand your wish, but if you don't want differences in car performance you just need to hand out one uniform car model. I don't think this is the way for Formula 1.

It's not that I don't like the performance diffenrence but sometimes if you know that Red Bull will win at this track because evrything suites them and Mclaren will finish at only top 10 because this tracks doesn't suite them at all (on dry ofcourse) and all of a sudden you get rain. All the performance are equal and you have a different feeling for the race because what seemed to be a sure victory for one team is no longer that sure.

But ofcourse there should be performance difference because that brings action to Formula 1 in it's own way.

 

[Adam Eggbeer]

What is the Medal System?

The medal system is that you received a gold medal for winning the race but you also got points for finishing in the top 8 (same point system used from 2003-2009). The world drivers' champion would be the driver who won the most races that season. If the number of wins was tied, then it would be who scored the most points.

Btw I belive the stewards you tell the teams that in 10 minutes there will be rain so that the teams will be expecting the rain and not kill the drivers like that. (Just a theory since it looks like this system won't be deplayed)

That then removes a lot of the unpredictability of racing in changing conditions. If you were told in 10 minutes it will rain, you will see every car pit in 10 minutes. The teams would be ready for it, there is no guessing of exactly when it will rain, and they could potentially enforce driver orders nice and early so they can change tyres as efficiently as possible.

 

[ufunacaoenn]

That then removes a lot of the unpredictability of racing in changing conditions. If you were told in 10 minutes it will rain, you will see every car pit in 10 minutes. The teams would be ready for it, there is no guessing of exactly when it will rain, and they could potentially enforce driver orders nice and early so they can change tyres as efficiently as possible.

Wasn't it in Istambul 2010 we heard, "The rain is coming in 10 minutes" or in Malaysia 2009 "We will have rain in minutes" and sow evryone pitting. (well only Ferrari failed but it was one out of 20 cars)

 

[Adam Eggbeer]

Several races have, but they cannot guarantee it will arrive in 10 minutes. It could be 5, it could be 20, or it may not rain. Whereas telling teams it will definately rain in exactly 10 minutes gets rid of the uncertainty that the rain often produces.

 

[Ross Balfour]

Fake rain.... Old People's home is that way Bernie --->

 

[Rob Butler]

This does nothing to improve the US stereotype does it? The beauty of wet races is that they catch you by surprise, and nobody knows how long it'll last and how much rain will fall, the sprinklers will get too predictably, and drivers will become too accustomed to the wet weather and the buzz will disappear, likewise cars will be built to handle better during in the wet.

Whoever said about the cost, this would be extremely low, most circuits have this sort of technology anyway, all new circuits do for sure, to clean. However we hear constantly about the carbon footprint of Formula 1 and how they're trying to make the sport more "green" spraying gallons of water over the track doesn't follow does it, although i am aware much of it could be recycled I still can't see it being a decent PR more.

Certainly a no for me though, i'm an F1 purist.