McLaren and Whiting behind standing starts after safety car in F1
The FIA delegate and race director for Grand Prix events, Charlie Whiting, indicated that he was - along with a member of the McLaren team - the instigator of the introduction of standing starts in F1 after the intervention of the safety car.
Much-discussed novelty of the future 2015 Formula 1 regulations, the standing starts after the intervention of the safety car were proposed jointly by a representative of the McLaren team and Charlie Whiting, during the F1 Commission, at least according to the FIA delegate in an interview with the official Sochi Autodrome website, which will host the Russian Grand Prix next October.
When asked for his opinion on this innovation, Whiting revealed that he had played a role in its implementation: « Standing starts are something I was personally involved in. I was talking to someone at McLaren, and we came up with this idea on how to make the show a bit better. When you have a race, what is the most exciting part? The start. So, why not have a second one? It made sense. »
He returns to the criticism of some drivers, notably, on these standing starts after the safety car and does not hold back: « Obviously, it doesn’t please some because it’s not pure racing. It’s made for spectacle. Some people were foolish enough to say it’s dangerous. Well, if it’s dangerous, you shouldn’t even start the race, should you? I understand why some people might think it’s too artificial because it’s not what normally happens. But why not? I see no downside to it. »
« This will bring more excitement; you rarely have position changes at a rolling start, so it could provide an opportunity for changes. Some drivers might be worried about losing their first place, but again, other drivers might have a chance to gain something. I think it’s an interesting idea. It has been approved. Now, we have to work to make it work. »
As a reminder, the 2015 Sporting Regulations currently stipulate that standing starts will be impossible if an incident occurs within two laps following a standing or rolling start (or restart) or if there are less than 5 laps remaining in a Grand Prix. Additionally, the race director will have the option to restart the race with a rolling start if deemed necessary.
