FORUMula1.com

[darwin dali]

I missed that one:

Willy Rampf, Technical Director BMW Sauber:
We ran our cars on different strategies as the new tyre regulation stipulates you have to use both compounds in the race. Another reason was the new Safety Car rule which says the pit lane will be closed until the cars are in their proper order on the track. You have to make sure you don’t go into such a period with the cars on the same pit stop strategy.


So, you're planning on coming in on lap 25 and you're running on fumes. That moment, the safety car enters the action after some shunt. It takes the field about 2-3 laps to get in the right order (with backmarkers shuffling through the front and around the circuit to rejoin the pack at the tail end). You're desperate because you're out of fuel and you can't get into the pits. Eventually you die a miserable death stopping in front of the grand stands out of gas! Hm, that is unless you have a BAR tank with the secret compartment - remember that one?

[madbrad]

I've had just about enough secret compartment bashing out of you!

[Jens]

That rule is pretty silly. It's yet another artificial random element

[Freddie]

Yeah, they regulate everything to death

[Red Five]

It takes the field about 2-3 laps to get in the right order (with backmarkers shuffling through the front and around the circuit to rejoin the pack at the tail end).

I thought they'd do this after they allowed pit stops, otherwise they'll have to do it again as the cars in the queue will get mixed up following their stops.

Maybe they'll adopt the NASCAR rule that only cars on the lead lap can stop the first time past the pits, and any lapped cars the next time around - the field should sort itself then. Actually, I didn't say that 'cos they probably will bring that in now!