multi21

Love ya Frank, but there is "defending" and then there is blocking... the FIA is trying to define what is what. Hamilton's "I was just trying to break the draft" is definitely a "unique" excuse....

FIA defines blocking rules for 2012

4 January 2012





F1 governing body the FIA has precisely defined the rules relating to wheel-to-wheel combat for the 2012 season. The description came on Wednesday as the updated version of the Sporting Regulations was released on the federation’s website.

The latest explanation, in Articles 20.2 and 20.3, reads as follows:

‘A driver may not deliberately leave the track without justifiable reason. More than one change of direction to defend a position is not permitted.

Any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off-line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to the corner.’


The ruling will help to avoid situations such as in Malaysia over the last two years, with Lewis Hamilton having claimed to retake the racing line ‘to break the tow’ when dicing with Vitaly Petrov and Fernando Alonso. However, with the judgement of ‘one car width’ being left up to the drivers, controversy could still loom.

ltc

Not unreasonable, especially since most kids who race karts are taught this...

jaje

You forgot the sole exception to the blocking rule: Michael Schumacher.

Potomac-Greg

It's an interesting way of saying this. So if you are headed into a tight right-hander, you can move right to block the inside. Then it implies that you CAN move left, back to the racing line (which is a second move but apparently not a move "to defend position"?), but you need to move far enough back to the left on the racing line to leave space to the right, inside you, for someone to make a passing move.

gums

Thanks for considering my sensibilities, but it's still rubbish to me. They can define it anyway they want, but in essence any move off the ideal racing line that is not an avoidance or evasive maneuver is a block. All they're saying now is that you can block, you just can't UNblock!
As usual, when someone gets hurt, we'll see some real action.

ZSA Motorsport

unfortunately, i guess i dont agree with your sentiment that blocking in total should be outlawed. granted, i know pca wants it gone or has ridden it.

but why should someone be forced to drive the "ideal" qualifying line while the competitor behind is not required to do so, giving them the ability to drive deeper in the turn, get sketchy trying to force a pass with deep braking with the knowledge that you cant take the inside line away.
you are at a huge huge disadvantage even if you are the faster car.

someone gets a tow up the straight away, and they just jump out to the right last second and you cant "defend"?? they just have to brake 50 feet later and they are inside you, even if they arent in total control, push wide due to their bad line, blow thru the brake zone because now every brake zone becomes an attack zone.

i personally think someone should be allowed a single racing move, a single line. if you want to head to the inside to defend the inside, so be it. now you are stuck with a compromised entry, a compromised exit and late power coming out. your competition shoudl be on the racing line, perhaps even over braking and getting back to full power well before you can on your compromised line.

im not in favor of being allowed a second move. to me then yes, its blocking, not defending.

i guess in sum, id suggest, if youwant to take a line to the inside that takes away the inside line for someone to pass, sure, fine, im ok with that. but then you better deal with the compromised exit you're going to experience being off the ideal line, and thus the competition can get you on exit if he executes it right and you stumble at all.

i just think taking away that single move idea makes the trailing car more desperate and aware they can just dive inside and make a pass. it would give way to far sketchier action and more wrecks. the rule of thumb woudl become, dont worry about a good exit off the turn, just trail the guy. he brakes, wait a 1/2 secodn and brake and the turn is automatically yours.

less than ideal.

gums

Well, that's a logical and well thought out response, SPG, and I have to admit that not many others agree with me on this. So, being the reasonable and open minded type that I am, I might be willing to cede just a bit with my opinion on this particular debate. However, I will always maintain that blatant blocking, no matter how the rules spell it out, is just poor sportsmanship. And since we are basically sportsmen, not career professionals, we owe it to each other to act accordingly.

teamking

That's not the way I read it.

I would change what you wrote to:
Either way, it now legitimizes two moves.

multi21

^^^ Wow... Frank.... very progressive of you

Blocking = illegal

Defending as defined by the rules = legal

Your correct that we are sportsmen and I would add, not making our living at this sport. However, when we talk about professional series, I enjoy watching a slower car, whether it be due to the fact he/she is nursing a broken car or trying to mask a mechanical problem or just plain slower car, try to use their race craft to keep a faster car at bay. Additionally, I like to see if a faster car with perhaps a driver that is not as good at his/her race craft try to pass a slower car when they are making it wider per the rules. I guess I just love the cat and mouse aspect of the entire thing.

multi21

I would say a move and a half because you cant' go all the way to the edge of the track, but leave a car width for the trailing car. Either way, that trailer car better find a way around the outside.

gums

This all came about in the first place when stupid Schublocker was being chastized for his rude tactics on the track. Routinely chopping at the start, blocking and all that. So, he requested that the rules spell out what is allowed, being the literal German that he is. They now had to put something acceptable in writing, and so the "one move" rule was scripted, thereby giving license to these antics.
He could easily have killed Barichello two years ago, and it would have been "legal" in his mind.

multi21

Frankie, thou protestith too much....

Schumacher hasn't been on a front row to chop since 2007.... and all the others you mentioned were many years ago.

Two different F1 sites listed the aforementioned Hamilton vs. Petrov/ALonso incident as a reason for this clarification, but it's always Schumacher's fault....

Just to stay one step ahead of you, the recession is Schumacher's fault and we did not find weapons of mass destruction even though we believed him when Schumi said they did and the Euro will crash within 2 years because Schumacher horded too many and caused the collapse of Greece, Spain and Italy .

gums

Christ, maybe I'm older than I think.
I find myself telling people that I'm 45, but I'm also dyslexic!

M758

Call it block if you want why race if you can't ever move off your line to hold off a slightly faster car? Might as well call it DE and start giving point bys.

Moving inside and then moving right back to the outside just a a second later is pretty bad. However moving to the inside early on long straight and then 5 seconds later moving back... That really seems like two different moves as 5 seconds is really a lot of time between moves. It does take some situational judgement however.

multi21