After Fernando Alonso’s comment on the absence of the safety car, the BBC responded to the Spaniard’s criticism. In England, they believe it is just a coincidence.
The safety car hasn’t been deployed for nine GPs, and for this reason, Fernando Alonso recently complained about the ease of driving the cars. In England, they see it differently. In fact, in the “F1 Q&A” column, the BBC mentioned that it probably won’t be long before Maylander is back on track with the AMG.
F1 too easy to drive?
Fernando Alonso’s theory on why this is happening was: “These cars aren’t easy to drive, but I think the problem with these cars is also extracting 100%. So, if you drive at 90%, sometimes you’re faster because you don’t put the platform in an uncomfortable corner or the ride height. You’re not pushing to the limit, where everything falls apart. That’s why sometimes in races, since we’re all driving at 90%, we have to take care of the tires, fuel economy, all these things, we don’t see too many problems, and we don’t see many safety cars or accidents.” – the former Ferrari and McLaren driver pointed out.
In response to Fernando Alonso, Andrew Benson, a well-known BBC journalist, said: “There hasn’t been a safety car in Formula 1 since the Canadian Grand Prix, so for nine races. I certainly don’t intend to argue with Fernando Alonso. It’s entirely possible that this has had an influence on the lack of safety cars. The fact is, though, that this situation has been going on for some time.”
“Since the Pirelli tires overheat if pushed too hard, drivers have been managing their pace in races for years. With very few exceptions, drivers haven’t been pushing full throttle in races since Pirelli entered F1 in 2011. As for the lack of safety cars, sometimes these things just happen, and it’s a statistical peculiarity. Many factors are involved.”
For Andrew Benson, the lack of safety cars is purely coincidental: “Take Singapore, for example. Lando Norris brushed the wall twice while heading for victory. If he had made a slightly bigger mistake in one of those instances, not only would he not have won, but there would have been a safety car. Also, the last time there was a safety car coincides with the last time there was a wet race – that, too, had a big influence.” – he explained.
“The Canadian Grand Prix had mixed conditions. The safety car in Miami was caused by Max Verstappen hitting a cone as he started struggling with his car. There will be another safety car soon,” concluded Andrew Benson.
Leave a Reply