ATLAS F1 Volume 6, Issue 41 | Email to Friend Printable Version | ||
The F1 FAQ | |||
by Marcel Schot, Netherlands |
Have a question about Formula One statistics or history? Well you're not the only one, and it's about time someone came up with the answers to Formula One's most Frequently Asked Questions. Send us your questions, to faq@atlasf1.com - we may not know everything, but we will sure make the effort to find out
The most frequently asked question is about prize money in Formula One.
However, this appears to be the best kept secret in all of sports.
The answer is nowhere to be found, with only a few estimates
having ever been published. About the only recent information I have come
across is a mention that fourth place in the 1999 Constructors' Championship
was worth about $1.5 million.
Staying in the money corner, this question arrived:
The following information is from the March 2000 issue of EuroBusiness Magazine:
All figures are estimates, in US dollars. Numbers in brackets signify that the driver
paid the team that amount for the drive, with sponsorship money.
Michael Schumacher's crash happened on the first lap of the original start,
which was red flagged because Alex Zanardi and Jacques Villeneuve had stalled
on the grid. Article 156 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations explains
the procedure for a race that is red flagged: "156) The procedure to be followed
varies according to the number of laps completed by the race leader before
the signal to stop the race was given : Case A. Less than two full laps. If
the race can be restarted, Article 157 will apply....". Article 157 then
says that "The original start shall be deemed null and void.". This is why
Michael Schumacher hasn't been awarded a start for this race.
This depends on the distance completed. To score points, a driver has to be
classified as a finisher of that race, so the driver must have completed
at least 90% of the distance covered by the race winner.
The last time not all of the top six was awarded points was
the 1984 USA-Detroit Grand Prix. Winner Nelson Piquet completed 63 laps, which
meant that the classification mark was set at 56 laps. At first, all points were awarded, as
six cars had finished the race. However, later in the season, both Tyrrells were
disqualified from the championship, removing Martin Brundle's second place, which reduced the
number of classified drivers to five. The last car to retire was Ferrari
driver Michele Alboreto, who suffered a blown engine after 49 laps, which was seven short of
classification.
Another four times the top six wasn't complete:
No, the cars in each team are setup to the personal preferences of each driver.
Often teammates share their findings about setting the car up, so they can try
to gain time from each other's experiences. This isn't always the
case though. Teammates Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet developed a rivalry at
Williams in 1986 and 1987 that was as fierce as the rivalry this decade between
Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill in 1994 and 1995.
Any Formula One track, be it in private use or a public track, has to be
FIA approved. FIA personnel are only required, however, at test sessions where more than
one team takes part. So at Fiorano, FIA personnel are only required when
Ferrari invite other teams to test with them, such as occasionally
occurs when Minardi test there.
It is allowed, and in fact happened in the 1994 German Grand Prix, where Mika
Hakkinen caused a first corner accident. Both Williams drivers, Damon Hill and David Coulthard,
suffered damage in the incident, with Hill arriving at the Williams pits as the
pit crew continued to work on Coulthard's car. Coulthard later rejoined the race but
retired after 17 laps, while Hill finished just over a lap behind winner
Gerhard Berger. In addition to the time Hill had to wait for Coulthard's car
to be repaired, his own pitstop was quite long as his car also needed repairs.
The interesting thing to note here is that the safety car was not deployed, despite
nearly half the field retiring on the first lap.
More recently, in similar situations, the safety car has been deployed, so the team must
work out if they can service both cars before the safety car completes the lap. If the
second car can come back on track before the safety car has completed the
lap, he can drive at fairly high speed to catch up with the cars in the
back, losing less time to the leaders.
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Marcel Schot | © 2000 Kaizar.Com, Incorporated. |
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