FIA's Charlie Whiting on halo complaints, extra DRS zones and F1's latest team recruitment controversy
Thursday 13 December 2018 15:27, UK
The FIA has played down the impact the halo will have on the ability of fans to identify drivers in F1 2018.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen suggested spectators were "not going to have a clue who is who" now the flip-flop-shaped halo head protection device sits above and around the cockpit of the 2018 cars.
But Charlie Whiting, the FIA's race director, believes there are already clearer visual markers on a car to indicate who is driving it than simply the respective driver's helmet design.
"I've always personally felt it's much easier to try and look at the colour of the on-board cameras," Whiting said during a pre-Australian GP briefing.
"Max (Verstappen) and Daniel (Ricciardo), for example, don't look dissimilar [with crash helmets on].
"Last year it was much easier with those two cars because the numbers were very prominent, which they weren't until last year. That actually worked quite well.
"We've made sure that all the numbers on the cars are in exactly the same places and the cameras will be back for the first car and all yellow for the second car.
"I'm fairly convinced that fans won't need to resort to try and identify drivers helmet colours to know who's in the car."
Whiting also addressed a number of other pressing matters ahead of 2018's opening race weekend:
Why a third DRS zone in Melbourne - and is it a one-off?
"We're just looking to try and maximise what can be done with the DRS.
"This is not an ideal circuit for this. The two DRS zones we had are not particularly effective and we thought there was an opportunity to do something on that stretch between Turns 12 and 13. If a driver can get a little closer than he otherwise may have done, he may get detection at Turns 14 and use it on the other two stretches.
"We will try and do something more effective at other tracks where there is more opportunity to do that."
Have teams complained over Ferrari's hiring of the FIA's Laurent Mekies?
"I have not actually heard any team complain to me about it. I've read a few stories but no team has actually approached me and expressed any displeasure about it. Perhaps in a few weeks' time when we meet with all the teams it might come up then.
"After Marcin (Budkowski) left there was quite a bit of difficulty about this in the Strategy Group and Formula 1 Commission as you may have heard and certain guidelines were suggested. Things are still being worked on with the relevant teams and our legal team to see what can be done within the law in various countries. That's still work that's ongoing."
Will there be standing starts after Safety Cars?
"The Safety Car will be operated in exactly the same way as it always has. There will be no standing starts after a Safety Car period.
"There's only a change if the race is stopped."
What is F1 doing to improve overtaking?
"There is a programme that's been embarked upon in a joint venture by the FIA and FOM for a 2021 car.
"Nikolas [Tombazis, the new FIA's head of single-seater technical matters] is heavily involved in that with a team from the commercial rights holder, with the idea being trying to develop a car that will be easier to follow than they have been in the past.
"It's a very tricky project, it's not easy - if it were easy it would have been done in the past. But it is in hand and that's one of the main goals for 2021."
