F1 drivers are seeking clarification from the FIA’s Charlie Whiting regarding the increasing defensive driving tactics during races. It seems that Toyota’s Jarno Trulli showed up at teh Thursday FIA press conference with photos of his accident with Force India’s Adrian Sutil in Brazil two weeks ago to justify his actions. This prompted Sutil to ask Trulli during the conference if “he is blind”. Nothing like a little dust up just prior to a grand prix weekend.
Brazil saw some aggressive driving by Brawn GP’s Jenson Button to claim the World Championship but it also saw a few defensive maneuvers that created some accidents. Even world champ Button accused Toyot’a Kamui Kobayashi(substituting for the injured Timo Glock) of being “all over in the braking zone” trying to defend his position.
Kobayashi was also accused of causing a dramatic accident of his fellow countryman Kazuki Nakajima of Williams F1. Then there was Red Bulls Mark Webber versus Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen incident that removed the Fin’s front wing as well as McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton who nipped Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello’s rear tire rendering his race finished.
Is it aggressive defense, dirty racing or are we asking the FIA to create even a larger Nanny State with F1? Apparently outgoing Williams F1 driver Nico Rosberg feels it is too aggressive and was caused by the retired Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher…I guess Rosberg never saw a Senna/Prost battle or a Gilles Villenueve.
“Barrichello, Webber and Kobayashi did exactly the same thing,” said Rosberg. “With Webber, Raikkonen lost his front wing, with Kobayashi, Nakajima had a massive off, which could have been much worse – you can really hurt yourself, marshals and others in that sort of accident.
“With Barrichello, Lewis ran into the back of his tyre. That was the third time – and it is not allowed to happen.
“It is Michael Schumacher who started this, like at Spa [in 2000], when Mika Hakkinen tried to overtake him and he ran him off the track. When the guy behind has made a decision [to pass] and the guy in front then moves over, it is very dangerous. You cannot do that.”
“That was the first time I remember it being a dangerous issue, so it needs to be looked at and clarified from my point of view. I will be mentioning it in the drivers’ briefing.”
“I am not saying anyone has done anything wrong [in Brazil], because there has not been a clarification about it, but the view of the drivers needs to be taken into account and we say it is very dangerous. Something needs to be changed.”
What do you think? To aggressive? Nanny state? Somewhere in between? Leave your civil comment below and let’s discuss….me? I say we don’t need a nanny state.
