Before setting the fastest lap during today's practice session in Melbourne, two-time Formula One champ Fernando Alonso made it clear that running the Australian Grand Prix at night was a bad idea. Joined by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, both drivers questioned whether enough track lighting would provide the necessary visibility to run a safe race.
The idea was floated by F1's chief Bernie Ecclestone and is currently under consideration by the Victorian Government. The thinking behind the idea is to make the race more entertaining for viewers, while at the same time allowing fans abroad to catch the event during peak viewing hours.
Several issues were brought to the fore during the discussion, and while safety was the biggest concern, the cost, both economically and environmentally, of lighting Albert Park might prove to be too prohibitive.
Considering that the open-wheeled racers regularly crest the 200 MPH mark, the idea of running a night race to attract more viewers may be a bit half-baked. Plus, we doubt that the team's aerodynamic engineers would be fond of strapping a set of driving lights onto the front wing.
[Source: Drive.com.au]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike @ Mar 16th 2007 10:58AM
HA HA HA! Awesome. I think a night race would be a blast for fans. I dunno how different it would be for the drivers though, the lighting would have to illuminate the track so much they would probably have better visibility than at night (no shadows)...and all that lighting would be SUPER expensive. But man, what a fun time for fans.
Yago Bal @ Mar 16th 2007 11:26AM
If the lighting works for DTM and ChampCars, it will work for F1. All they have to do is want it...
Ian @ Mar 16th 2007 11:32AM
So funny. These F1 types are so introverted in the way they look that they seem to think that racing at night has never been done B4. Completely laughable!
testa di cazzo @ Mar 16th 2007 11:33AM
this is ridiculous. i hate ecclestone. he's just turning F1 into a circus. it used to be about cutting edge technology and innovation. now its just turning into nascar with all the obnoxious restrictions on cars, and now this night riding? this is ridiculous.
kicking out michelin was a scandal! what a great way to kill competition. idiot.
what next, are they going to turn the tracks into ovals and have everyone do just left turns? after all, the fans can see the whole track that way! it'll make for a better raceday experience!!!!!!!! ecclestone is a moron...
matt @ Mar 16th 2007 11:44AM
environmental costs? are you kidding me? f1 cars don't run cats.
Brent @ Mar 16th 2007 11:50AM
NHRA racers regularly do over 330 mph at night. The F1 drivers need to stop being such babies.
Proud Japanese @ Mar 16th 2007 11:58AM
Wow Brent, no wonder Americans are stereotyped as arrogant. Sure the NRHA do over 330mph. But only for 4 seconds on a 1/4 mile. F1 races last a much much longer distance over a much longer time scale. They have to keep focused on their lines and braking points. Put a F1 driver in a drag car and they will do a reasonable good job at the strip. Put a drag racer in a F1 car on a track and they will get tired and lose concentration after a dozen laps and probably crash.
MCS05 @ Mar 16th 2007 12:29PM
I would not like to see them race at night simply because it is not as clear on tv.
Patrick @ Mar 16th 2007 1:14PM
I remember the 2003 Grand Prix of Cleveland when Champ Car raced at night. It was great. The drivers seemed to really like it and you have the added benefit of cooler temperatures. Champ Car did a neat trick that year where they placed small titanium screws in the undercarriages of all of the cars. Whenever they would bottom-out on the bumpy Cleveland course, the fans got to see some nice sparks.
These guys race in all sorts of weather conditions already. I imagine that a fully illuminated track would have to have better visibility than racing in a torrential downpour.
If they can find a way to actually illuminate the entire circuit, then they should do it. In a series with so little on-track passing (compared to other series), racing at night would add some excitement.
thisislame @ Mar 16th 2007 1:20PM
People like Brent makes Americans sound stupid. NHRA is not even racing... Its a waste of time and fuel.
Brent @ Mar 16th 2007 1:22PM
Attn Proud Japanese: I'm not American and you're being arrogant in stereotyping drag racers. :-)
Racer Jay @ Mar 16th 2007 3:10PM
Bernie's an idiot...so is Max...nuff said.
Mike @ Mar 16th 2007 3:41PM
Actually Bernie is serious about the enviromental costs. F1 is very proud to be a carbon neutral sport and they want to keep it that way. All those lights would use an enormous amount of electricity and energy therefor contributing to pollution. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal to us in the USA but it is to Europeans...
Rocket Punch @ Mar 16th 2007 5:05PM
IMO, night race is stupid for F1. What I wanted to see is one 12hr endurance event every year where each team is allowed 2 cars but require 4 driver changes during the race. This will put team work back into F1 and give test drivers a way to showcase their driving and every team will requires to bring in one guest driver for that race.
Proud Japanese @ Mar 16th 2007 8:01PM
I'm sorry, you are 110% right! I waste so much time making stupid remarks because my parents basement is so boring. Thank you to all those who pointed out that I am pathetic and that my comments have no relevance to anyone over 12. Sorry guys!
Tagg @ Mar 16th 2007 8:06PM
F1 drivers/teams seems to be resistant to any chnage that is out of their hands. I'm glad they reined in some of the technology and they should do more of it. How great would it be to see real stick shifts
in the cars again and not the Playstation paddles? What the hell, throw in that 3rd pedal the drivers haven't seen in years and lets see what happens! I bet you would see some new faces up front for sure.
fm @ Mar 16th 2007 11:58PM
Yeah I was annoyed that Michelin was kicked out after so many years (if they were so bad as some have/may claim why the hell were they the majority? only 3 teams ran Bridgestone. Teams had the choice.)
Back to the subject, racing at nite is ridiculous imo. Sure they can do it. I mean NASCAR has done it for years, ofcourse they also just started running unleaded fuel so I'm not sure how they stand up as a example. F1 is broadcasted in so many countries around the world that racing at nite doesn't do anything for primetime airing since so many races are re/broadcasted later in the day (ie not live).
To bring up what one poster said I'd like to see more cutting edge stuff like when Renault introduced the 1.5l turbo v6 in the RS01 in 1977. Less restrictions on inovation and bring back more tire companies, thats's what I say. Ofcourse I don't channel the voice of God so my voice counts for crap.
J @ Mar 17th 2007 12:35AM
I agree it can be done safely but it will never bee the same as daylight. daylight offers such a broad range of colors, allowing you to see each color, electric lights always have more of certain frequencies making it harder to distinguish colors. not a big difference but important to think about...
Brent @ Mar 17th 2007 1:25PM
My comment wasn't meant as a swipe against the skills of F1 drivers and I do enjoy the series. However, there's no doubt in my mind that F1 drivers are the prima donnas of the racing world. Numerous series race at night so I don't think it's a stretch the the F1 boys could too.
I recall a quote of a LeMans participant that went something like "I drive 220 mph down the Mulsanne Straight, at night, in the rain."
F1 night racing CAN be done.
Ford Mustang @ Mar 17th 2007 4:11PM
I think a night race or two per season would be pretty cool. What's with all these wussy drivers who make excuses for why they can't drive in the dark? It reminds me of certain other racing series who refuse to race in the rain.