Joker laps...

[noisebox]

How about this for an idea to spice up F1 races?

I was watching some rallycross on Motors TV yesterday evening and they had the concept of a joker lap where each driver can miss out a portion of the track for one lap and gain an advantage. The idea being you can get past someone yourt stuck behind. I think this could work in F1 - imagine if at Monza one of the chicanes could be cut legally once in the race. There would have to be some conditions, like it couldn't be possible for the 1st few laps, or everyone would do it on the first lap. As everyone could do it no one would have an undue advantage.

It could also be a way of handing out easy penalties, by taking away a drivers 'joker' lap.

I think this could be a really cost effective way of improving racing and shuffling the pack a bit. Discuss...

[Stewart]

No. Just no.
I'm curious to hear how you think allowing drivers to short-cut the track in order to get past someone will improve the racing. Surely racing implies some sort of non-short-cutting overtaking?

[noisebox]

It's another strategy element - refuelling without the danger...?

[SennaStraight]

You don't want too many strategy developments otherwise

a) It gets more complicated than it needs to be and

b) Is almost getting to the whacky racers level of spilling oil over the track or being allowed to drop pins in front of your competitors

[Reverie Planetarian]

I'm confused as to how that would even work! So you could, on one lap, risk to go skipping across the third gravel trap on the left and possibly shredding all your car's precious underbody elements...to overtake? I agree with SennaStraight on this.

...although one would bet that Ecclestone and Mosley have the draft on their desks right now...[/bitterness]

[noisebox]

Tracks would have to be adapted so that the short cut is tarmac...

The same thought occured to me about Max, Bernie, if enough people dislike this (as they seem to) we can expect it to be implemented next year! You heard it here first...

[Keirdre]

As the FOTA survey recently found: most people do not think that Formula 1 is broken, and therefore we should be careful not to 'over-fix' it.

This would be horribly artificial and contrived. But perhaps a little amusing also.

[noisebox]

This would be horribly artificial and contrived. But perhaps a little amusing also.

A bit like refuelling, KERS, strange tyre compounds, knockout qualifying etc... my point is lots of things could be described like that but over time they become accepted...

[Keirdre]

This would be horribly artificial and contrived. But perhaps a little amusing also.

A bit like refuelling, KERS, strange tyre compounds, knockout qualifying etc... my point is lots of things could be described like that but over time they become accepted...

I agree with the tyre compound rule, less so with refuelling (it is the fastest way to do it after all). This is just too artificial, too forced. And I'm not sure how you'd do it safely. Can you give some examples of corners that can be modified to allow a car to use their joker, and only pass one car, and not have an enormous advantage going into the following straight? Details, details!

[noisebox]

The ones that came to mind were straightlining a monza chicane, cutting a bit out of the stadium complex at hockenheim, putting a cut through on the twisty bit at interlagos etc etc

[CarlosFerreira]

What about Monaco? Cut through the pits? Go through the Marina?

Not sure the concept would work...

[Barbazza]

Shame Suzuka isn't still on the calendar or you could launch yourself off the bridge at the figure of 8 bit and miss out most of the lap. The BMWs would probably manage it with minimal damage as well....

[Kuwashima]

Barbazza, that is an awesome idea!! Perhaps a Suzuka on-ramp.

[IntegratorTypeR]

Oh... there was me thinking this was a thread about one of Nelson Piquet Jr's qualifying attempts.

[StoneColdSpider]

Oh... there was me thinking this was a thread about one of Nelson Piquet Jr's qualifying attempts.

i thoguth the same thing too

this is a cool idea too....
we could get a sidecar built for Hamilton Merc and Daddy Hamilton can sit in it and they can b dick darsdedly and muttley....
now that would complete the "whacky races" look that Bernie and Max are going for

we just need a hot chick to b Pennelapy Pitstop!

[RejectSteve]

this is a cool idea too....
we could get a sidecar built for Hamilton Merc and Daddy Hamilton can sit in it and they can b dick darsdedly and muttley....
now that would complete the "whacky races" look that Bernie and Max are going for

One for the Massas as well. Its annoying to me that FOM always cuts to Daddies Hamilton and Massa during the races. Why do they have to come to every race anyway? Its slightly less annoying than Brazil last year when they wouldn't stop cutting away to Hamilton's lady friend. They're not bringing anything to the show, we don't need to see them. Don't get me wrong, Piquet Sr is probably at each race but A) he's been in F1 and B) is a three-time World Champion to boot.

[Bort]

Screw that. I am waiting for car-mounted cannons, DEATHRACE 2000 style.

[Ross Prawn]

At Silverstone, they could nip down the club circuit straight, thereby avoiding half the circuit.

Even better, at the Nurburgring and Hockenheim you could insist that they must do one lap of the old circuit during the GP.

[RejectSteve]

At Silverstone, they could nip down the club circuit straight, thereby avoiding half the circuit.

Even better, at the Nurburgring and Hockenheim you could insist that they must do one lap of the old circuit during the GP.

You could always use the sprint circuit layout at the Nurburgring which cuts off the hill section after the new stadium complex. As for Hockenheim, they are two shorter layouts available, one simply cuts off the hairpin while the shorter one exits shortly after the first turn and rejoins before the stadium.

I wish any series could use the old Hockenheim section but the tarmac was broken up and trees were planted to appease the environmentalists. Another legend killed...

[StoneColdSpider]

I wish any series could use the old Hockenheim section but the tarmac was broken up and trees were planted to appease the environmentalists. Another legend killed...

oh man u serious???
thoes bloody hippies
should b charged with murder!

[Bleu]

I wish any series could use the old Hockenheim section but the tarmac was broken up and trees were planted to appease the environmentalists. Another legend killed...

oh man u serious???
thoes bloody hippies
should b charged with murder!

That was a result of negotiations between organizers and enviromentalists...they had to plant new trees as they had to cut a massive amount to make space for new track.

[Reverie Planetarian]

This is a really late one but I thought from the title someone was gonna make a gag about qualifying going from normal sessions to shootouts to... *snaps pool cue over leg* ...tryouts.