JUNE 28, 2004

Teams agree to revise starting system

The Formula 1 Commission is to recommend a new system to start races, with no start-abort if a car stalls on the grid. This will avoid the lengthy process of the team members going out on to the grid and then a second parade lap.

The Formula 1 Commission is to recommend a new system to start races, with no start-abort if a car stalls on the grid. This will avoid the lengthy process of the team members going out on to the grid and then a second parade lap. This is being done to reduce the possibility of delaying the start in order to give TV companies a better show. The start-abort system means around 10 minutes are wasted.

In future if a car stalls on the grid there will be waved yellow flags indicating what had happened and the cars behind will have to avoid the stalled car as they head off to the first corner. While this may sound more dangerous it is really no different from the current situation which often sees cars stopped on the grid or getting off the line slowly. The drivers will in fact have more warning than they do in these cases.

The only real problem will come if more than one car stalls but that is very rare indeed.

The team bosses talked for nearly eight hours before the meeting broke up but little has actually been changed although we hear that there was considerable agreement on a lot of the issues involved.

The FIA President Max Mosley is still planning to go ahead and try to change the technical rules on the grounds of safety but this will only become apparent after the forthcoming World Motor Sport Council meeting when the FIA will decide whether to support the plan.