There are plenty of reasons as to why the Safety Car is not an F1 car... here's why.
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I think another reason this would be a bad idea is because of the possibility that the drivers may confuse the safety car as another racer, especially in wet weather when visibility is low. Though the can change the colors or other parts of the car to make it stick out there is still the possibility it is mistaken for another driver.
Not if it has a light flashing on top of it.
the car would still have lights, so I guess that would be hard to happen
I was just about to post the same thing!
I think it's funny this is even a video 😂. I don't think anyone has ever asked why it's not a F1 car. If that was the case then why even have a safety car if you're still going to be ripping around the track behind a F1 safety car 😂, you can't drive a F1 car slow it's either all out or nothing otherwise the brakes and tires won't work.
@Smaug What do you mean speed wouldn't matter. Like he said in the video they would have to go at unsafe speeds because F1 tires and brakes don't really work unless you're going really fast. Kinda defeats the whole purpose of a safety car. It would be exciting though watching track marshals trying to clear the track while they are still hauling ass 😂.
People don’t realize how fast those GT cars can move. If the FIA didn’t force them to stay at a certain speed, they could most definitely be quick enough to make the drivers happy.
Exactly both can do over 300kmh
@@randomchannel323 cars 30 years ago could do 300 kph. The point is these cars are both insanely fast in a straight line AND extremely quick in the corners. The Merc is the third fastest production car around the ring. Just 0.4 seconds slower (over 6:43 minutes) than the much, much more powerful and decked out P1 GTR LM. They are speedy bois.
@@Anankin12 And despite being speedy bois you can see how much work Maylander and the car are having to do to maintain those "slow" speeds. It really gives an indication of how easy the F1 cars make traveling very quickly look so effortless.
@@Anankin12 black series is 2nd fastest after Gt2rs
@@zeeem4810 P1 GTR LM is a production, road going car and it's marginally faster than the black series. The Manthey Racing GT2 RS is a couple seconds faster than both.
Also big point, you want the safety car to be slower so you create a gap in the track where marshalls can work safely.
that point doesn’t matter as it was already explained the safety cars can go faster but the driver keeps it in certain windows for each sector. so you’re correct, but doesn’t matter because you can still drive fast cars slowly
@GH0STST4RSCR34M it driving slower doesn't necessarily mean it _is_ slower, he just limits his speed according to the FIA
@GH0STST4RSCR34M then why did you comment your first comment if you understood at first?
@GH0STST4RSCR34M well jim says they can go faster but don’t because the fia tell them not to and you say the exact same thing but with caps and making it look like he said the opposite
Not just the marshals need the gap, if any slow and heavy vehicle need to go across the road, or even drive there on the road, that also need some gap from the drivers. Also if they are going with full speed and the gap is half like with the slower speed, that also means the workers need doubled amount of laps to finish the cleaning, because they only can work when no cars near them, and 10-12 laps under the safety car (so without race) is insane and even more unacceptable like the slower speed.
And also, it needs to be able to operate in all sorts of conditions, rain, snow, freezing cold, baking sun, without changing tires, pre-heating stuff or cooling stuff down and it needs to be able to start right up with the push of a button instead of the complicated start procedure of an f1 car so that it can react as quickly as possible in all conditions
Great point
Arie Luyendyk (a two time Indy 500 winner) slid off track driving the Indycar pace car (same thing; different name) in heavy rain at Toronto a few years back. In 2018 at the Detroit race the Indycar pace car actually crashed while leading the field before the race. I don't think there's anything funnier than the pace car car screwing up. It's always delightful.
Why would an f1 safety car be needed in snow? Have there ever been a snow race in f1?
@@Mcrochev1994 the first race of this year we have snow. Not at the F1 but where I was watching. So it is always a possibility. Maybe not in Dubai
@@Mcrochev1994 they do technically drive in climates that could see snow and Canada has seen freak snowstorms in summer time. I think it’s because the safety car is the first car on track in questionable conditions, if they were ever faced with snow/sleet it would need to be able to drive it
There's another thing worth mentioning: you can't just turn on and get driving an f1 Car on short notice. You don't know when or if a SC is needed. Imagine some accident happens and they're like "wait a minute, we have to warm up the engine/tires", or else, the SC catching fire because it idled for too long
I don't know much about F1 cars but. What if the Car just looked like an F1 car but operated more like a regular car. No DRS, no ERS, No race tires, no fancy brakes, or custom F1 engine and drivetrain. It just looks like an F1 car, but is really a regular Aston Martin under the hood.
@@deutsch-amerikanisch8281 Whilst that would probably be possible you still would have many of the issues that face a real F1 running at the lower speeds the safety car requires, also packaging such a beast in a vehicle that looks like an F1 car but still having all the roadrunning safety systems such as ABS would I think be a small nightmare. Lastly there would still be the packaging of all the additional tech needed to control the pace in such a way as to assist the race control, this and cost I think are the deciding factors.
@@deutsch-amerikanisch8281 so then, what's the point?
@@chrisfortune1813 why not a Lola f1r with a gma t50 engine?add sc lights and a 1997 f1 based bodykit
@@javierfuentes1643 As said in the video, packaging all the extra stuff needed and as commented else where they need to go at a moments notice so any racecar will be hampered there.
Love how everyone is still arguing for a faster car in the comments when Matt clearly said that the speed is dictated by ths FIA and the curtent safety car could go faster if needed.
People have short attention span so they only remember the final part of the video
i’ve been working motogp this weekend gone and damn even those ones go fast. Saturday evening they were drifting round club corner
This. These cars nor mr. Maylander are slouches by any means. At full throttle these things can still reach about 150-160 mph on the main straight of an average track. But they simply AREN'T ALLOWED to do that.
These people also don't understand that the safety cars are race cars in their own right. The (standard) Aston Martin does 0-100 kph in 4 seconds, and the Merc is even faster and does it in 3.2 seconds.
people are stupid.
In a different universe the safety car is a Formula 1 car, and the Formula 1 cars are the Aston Martin and Mercedes Safety Cars and the drivers in them are complaining that the Safety Car is going too fast.
I'd love to see that
@@GameOver-nm2us Last race weekend of the year, all the out going safety cars should have their own exhibition "race", with the F1 race having the new safety cars being used. Bonus points if they have a random lottery program for ticket holders to get a ride along in said "race". I don't care how many trees they need to kill for the waiver for that, i'll sign!
I would pay good money to watch this racing 😂
Imagine being so slow you get lapped by the safety car lol
Also, key point here : there was an "F1" safety car for a few Grand Prix in 1994 (can't remember if it was in Formula 1 or other series), with none other than the Renault Espace F1. Yes, that huge MPV concept car by Renault with a Williams V10 and chassis. The thing is, you may very well never see the safety car in a race if all goes well. So you can imagine the nightmare of having an F1 engine idling for 2 hours, since it can't be started with just the turn of a key. So they did try it, and realized it was a stupid idea.
I understand that it is part of the advertising, but I would LOVE to see the Mercedes AMG Project One and Aston Martin Valkyrie as safety cars, since they were created based on F1 cars in some aspect.
Wouldn't be surprised if we see them once those cars exist and are starting to be sold -- but even then, that means building three just for F1 use and they're highly limited cars
There's not enough room for safety car required gadgets and instruments inside those cars.
I was thinking the same thing
@@ardijanuar2036The Black Series, and Vantage arent much better
A classic question from a new F1 fan but that actually is a curious one, but "safety" is the reason, and already in the name
Yes, safety in one area of the track. All other sections are already safe. But F1 are stuck behind a slow road car where they loose temperature in tires, which, in the end, is not safe (same argument why F1 have tire blankets)...
@@sebparent3501 So let them go faster and then get to where a crash was and the marshalls are still trying to clear cars and debris from the track and also make repairs? You clearly don't understand the purpose of a safety car.
@@sebparent3501 that slow road car can reach 0-100 kmh in 3 seconds bro. Its not slow and if the track has long straights it can competw with F1 because top speed is more on that black edition. Corners are a different story though...
Crofty - Bernd maylander is actually a very, very good driver. He is going a lot faster than it appears
Bernd - I could go faster, but then I wouldn't hear the painful cries of the leader complaining about me going too slow.
Most people would shit their pants if they would join the ride.
He _is_ going very fast. It's actually amazing to me to see how much work he and the car are having to do to maintain speeds that seem slow to F1 cars. It just shows how ridiculously quick the F1 cars really are. It's especially true at Monaco where seeing a "normal" car illustrates the insane performance of the Formula One cars around that track.
I’d love to see a video tallying up costs of an f1 race as the race progresses. Instead of the timing screen a screen could present costs
With little register sounds when something comes up like tyre changes. (Reminds me of one of the subgames in GTA Online where you blow up NPCs.) Interesting to see the numbers shoot up when someone has an on-track oops.
This is the wrong question. It should be, why is the safety car not a GT3 car? Both Mercedes and Aston Martin have GT3 versions of the current safety cars.
sponsorships if you run gt3 cars you dont need extra ads for a gt3 car
Advertising. Look you can buy the Formula One Safety Car from us here
I don't think keeping a racecar waiting for an entire race is good for the car, specially if it has to go out on such short notice and start lapping at an acceptable pace (for a GT3)
@@andreusolanas9842 I like this answer. It’s a practical one. Race cars do require a higher level of maintenance. It’s easier to just start up the road car and go flat out at the drop of a hat when you have to then start a whole race car sequence
Exactly
I love you Matt. But honest question; Who in their right mind, not being incredibly high, would ever seriously consider that it would be a good idea to have a F1 car be the safety car? It never even crossed my mind
He literally said who in the first 10 secs of the video.
@@null_spacex I honestly don't see even newbie fans asking that if they gave it as much as a few seconds' thought. It's ludicrously expensive, harder to drive, and has no room for a passenger to assist the SC driver. You really don't have to be a fan of the sport for 20 years to be able to realize that.
@@jasv49 well good for you for having some common sense but it's a big ignorant to think everyone has this same level of common sense.
Even people with under average IQ might understand it
It makes for a good clickbaity title. Both current cars especially the black edition amg gt are more than enough
Mat: Lightweight F1 car... Meanwhile 2022 F1 car: Heaviest in history
Still very much lightweight compared to any road cars.
still light as shit compared to pretty much any other car
I have literally never had that idea… even back when American “stock car racing” used stock-ish cars, the pace cars were street cars.
Indycar also uses expensive street cars. You'll occasionally hear complaints from drivers in stock car and tne Indycar ladder but it seems to be more accepted here that the pace cars aren't going to travel at "ideal" speeds. I suspect becuase in both series it's understood that tires aren't always going to be at tne ideal temps. Neither NASCAR nor Indycar use tire warming blankets so the drivers have more experience starting with very cold tires (relatively speaking) and having to to manage them until they get to tne ideal temps.
I've never even considered this to be an option. Hell Nascar sometimes even has a truck as the pace vehicle. The safety car should look different than an F1 car and it obviously doesn't need to go 200 mph. When the safety car is used, its done so to slow the cars down because there's a wreck or broken down car on the track. Its to protect the workers, just like reduced speed limits in construction zones on a normal highway exist so you don't run over and kill someone working on the road.
We had a Fiat Tempra as a family car when I was young! What a car!!! Didn’t realise it was once an F1 Safety Car!
That’s awesome
We also had one, and that's where I learned to drive when I was 13. A Fiat Tempra SW 1.9 TD. Then I started "drifting" if when I was 17. Good times.
Amg gt black series is not a joke. It held the production car track record the fastest lap around nurburgring after porsche modded the gt2rs to take the record back again. I think a black series and porsche 911 gt3 will be a good pairing.
I can see a Porsche GT3 or GT2 safety car definitely coming back once the Porsche Red Bull partnership becomes a thing.
Also, the safety car need to be idleing all time. And they tried with the Renault Espace F1 to put for some races but it was just so loud so uncomfortable that they stoped the idea. Plus the engine wouldn't be as reliable on the milage too.
The Renault Espace is in the Gran Turismo 2 video game.. it's an impressive mini van 😂
The safety car doesn't have to be an F1 car but it can be a faster car like maybe an AMG ONE or a laferrari
@UC5JkPZ_48BB8_Ht0Q1sHOew not fast enough, the issue isn't on the straights but in the corners
A Valkyrie
@@aarnavkembhavi2820 AMG one has massive aero upgrades and active aero spoilers and stuff pretty sure it'd be way faster in corners (compared to the GT black series)
@Issam Melzi it has to be equally fast in the corners because that's where drivers lose tyre temps
Dodge hellcat 🤣🤣
the reasons in this video were good. when i saw the thumbnail and asked myself the same question i immediately began thinking about how many people are needed to start and operate an f1 car safely, and even then these cars aren’t perfect, and even leading cars suffer mechanical failures from time to time. just my first explanation at the question
I always thought it's about making the safety car stand out visually. A non-F1 car is immediately recognisable as a safety car, whilst an F1 safety car might be mistaken for a regular competitor.
I loved this video! You guys could do a video list all the safety cars in the F1 history, and take the most iconics for good or bad reasons (like a Tempra example kkk) and talk a litle about.... Is very difficult to find that kind of information about the F1 safety cars.
Matt I think you've missed out on an other important feature of the safety car is to be able to provide assistant in case of an accident. Romain Grosjeans crash in Bahrein 2020 comes to mind where the safety car can stop and help the driver.
That wasn’t the safety car, I’ve seen a lot of people get confused between the safety car and the medical car. They’re driven by 2 different people and serve 2 different purposes. The medical car carries significantly more medical kit and is a lot larger to carry the kit and and drivers who don’t need an ambulance but still need transporting. While the medical car is on track treating patients (drivers), the safety car is serving it’s purpose at the front of the field keeping drivers behind it and going a safe speed
Fragility and handling of an F1 car is also something to think of. You would also require a driver who can drive an F1 properly and not let it crash or the repair costs will be unnecessarily high. I'd reckon that it's easier to crash an F1 car than a road car from Aston Martin, and the road car is more or less still operatable if you ride and tap the barriers a tiny bit where an F1 car would probably already have damage to the suspension or the front wing.
You know, when I saw the video title I could only think. "That's a dumb question" The video kinda confirmed it haha. Great vid!
what i like about this Channel is that you answer to the questions that we don’t ask ourselves but we’d like to have the answers to
This is some serious Tuesday during Summer-break content lmao
It still seems weird for there to be more than one now. I'm also used to it only being a Mercedes and looking back through my newly delivered box set of the 90s this week it looks weird again to see different makes even at the end of the decade when I began with F1. The third confusing element for me is the Mercedes not being silver anymore. It was nice for the race at Mugello - still can't believe that actually happened! 🤩 - to have it in red as a nod to Ferrari, but permanently red doesn't seem as special to me. Cost being high is an issue with two different makes but spare a thought for Formula E, who have been through BMW, Mini and now Porsche in less than a decade of existence. Can't be cheap... 💰
I was born in 99 and watched f1 all my life. Seeing something other than a Mercedes as the safety car felt... Weird lol. And yeah it should be fucken silver not red, would look so much better
This video doesn’t go into the actual problem. The safety car has to go slower than an f1 car because you have marshals on track or in the run offs. It goes slow so that drivers are safe.
He literally spoke about that when he said they have very specific avg speeds they need to go. Then after when he spoke about the passenger telling the driver about everything going on around the track.
@@null_spacex People just don't either listen or watch the video. The fact you had to re-explain what was said is proof. Smh
I suppose another reason is that you want a car that is easily distinguishable from the others so you know which is the SC. I am not an expert in car racing (I watch more bikes than cars, although I like watching some car racing) but from what I have seen in all classes the SC is a different type of car that is racing. You also have to know it is a SC in bad visibility as well. The whole idea is to slow the cars down and make sure everyone is safe. If the SC is just going to go round at race speed what is the point of having one. The only answer I can think of if drivers are worried about cold tyres (taking into account in a year or two there is going to be a ban on tyre warmers so every time they do a pitstop their tyres are going to be stone cold) is maybe have a quicker delta lap behind the SC after the hazard is cleared. A bit like a rolling start they do in some forms of racing.
What about something by the likes of an LMP2? They are quicker, could in theory fit two people and are relatively cheap.
the current safety cars are more than fast enough, but they are intentionally driven slowly to avoid accidents, the whole point of a safety car is to go slowly, getting a faster one wouldn't help because it would be driven at the same speed
They're not quicker, they're exactly the same speed - as fast as the race director requests
it should only go fast to a certain point, if SC go too fast, it won't gather up the pack to allow some clear track windows for trackside team to clear up the mess on racing line.
It wouldn't help, safety cars have lot of tech hardware inside them(check F1's official channel vidoe on the safety car, the whole trunk of the car is occupied by that stuff), LMP2, therefore wouldn't work
itd be very cool to see an old school f1 car as a safety car, something from the 90s or 00s would be very cool
I think the pre-aero mid-60s cars would be perfect if they went down that route. It would be a great way for F1 to highlight its history, one of the best thing about tne competition.
So where do they put the 2nd person and all the safety equipment etc that they need? Also how do they stop the engine melting itself from having to be on idle for the whole race? Can't leave the engine off and start it when needed as it takes a good while to properly start it and warm up.
@@mickyblue9658 The medical equipment and the second person are in a different car called the medical car.
Thank you for the elaboration
It should be an the road going flagships- Mercedes ‘AMG ONE ‘ & Aston Martin ‘Valhalla’
Ok but hear me out, Mercedes AMG One and Aston Martin Valkyrie safety cars. Faster than the current safety cars with performance inspired or directly pulled from formula 1 cars themselves.
We can only dream ey😢
Faster yes, but not allowed to drive faster. The current cars could go much faster than they do, FIA just doesn't allow it. Would be cool to see the amg and the am doing a full on race tho... Or the amg one and the Valk....
No, they lack the practicality to perform other safety car duties.
I feel we've been trough this countless times already
We have but the past few years have seen an influx of new fans so they might not know the answer. All of us had to learn this stuff at some point too.
I would love to see a vid released from the start to finish of a SC deployment.... would be nice to see what goes on in the car also good to hear the radio messages between race director and SC...
Even thu we can fit all the gear ... safety car respond is very quick , so the cars are already probably switched on and parked on the side , if not its just a quick ignition to the engine, unlike the F1 car which can't be parked for a long time coz it would overheat , and if it off , it takes time to do the start up sequence
Finally the question I’ve been waiting for!
Has safety car ever caused another safety car?
no, but a safety car has caused a red flag, indirectly. (monaco 2022 vibes sliding into merabo[?] intensify)
@@nightshadelenar Also Monaco, Schumacher lost a wheel while crashing in the tunnel under a safety car. How?!
@@dcarbs2979 understeer in the tunnel with wet tires
That question reminds me of a touring car race where the safety car just pulled out in front of the leader, leaving him no time to react and the guy ended up crashing hard into the safety car
There have been accidents here in the US with pace cars in both stock car racing and Indycar. Sometimes the pace car crashes on its own and other times they're hit by another driver. The scarest incident was at the Indy 500 decades ago. When the pace car was traveling down the pit lane at the start of the race the driver lost control and slid into a small grandstand containing media photographers. Thankfully no one was killed.
Why can't the safety car be a gt3 car? They are light and have a lot of space from weight saving and they are fast . They could have a porsche 911 gt3 car or a mercedes amg gt3 car .
But the actual one are fast enough, the speed issue is not due to their performance but the Safety
Race cars are all very expensive to maintain, not only money-wise but also time-wise. The safety car has to function all the time it's on track. A normal road car does this job fine, because they are tuned down a lot to keep their mileage and reliability high, which isn't the case for a normal gt3 car. You would have to provide great effort to tune it down, making it reliable, while having all its sensitive electronics and mechanical parts working correctly for each weekend. A road car is just start and go and therefore a far better choice
It could be. If a sponsor offers a gt3 car with the required capabilities (easy enough) then it comes down to offering more sponsorship money than Mercedes and Aston. That could happen, but I think it's unlikely because they wouldn't be showing off a car that's on sale to customers
Because of mostly the same reasons as for the F1 car. They are special cars, which cant go from cold to full speed instantly and war way too costly. They need, again, pre warmed tyres, the correct tyres (dry & wet condition), warm fluids (for engine, gearbox and diff), and special treatment overall. The Aston and Mercedes Road cars dont need special treatment at all and they are comparatively cheap, have always the correct tyres on, can be used hard way faster without instant damage of their components etc.
@@yourDecisi0n dunno why everybody thinks that. but gt3 cars arent hard to maintain, thats why they are fricking GT cars. pricewise there also isnt that much difference. they all cost around 500k. The fact nobody is talking about is, that gt3 cars arent necessarily quicker. they have less power because of regulations. a safetycar should be fast, where it is safe to go fast (=straights) and thats where streetlegal cars are better.
Because its called a safety car for a reason with its main purpose being to slow the track down as theres potential danger on it. There could be both the normal safety car and maybe even a hyper car that leaves the pits for a a lap as the slower safety car enters the pits that would allow the F1 cars to get heat back into the tyres.
I came to the same conclusions about the impracticality of it a while back. That said, there are cars recently that have F1-ish performance. Consider the (also impractically priced) AMG One. They COULD use something along those lines, but then what about races with no safety car? Then they've shipped a multi-million dollar vehicle to a track to simply look pretty. Though I wouldn't put it passed AMG to do that.
cornering of the amg-one seems to be similar to other hypercars, and nowhere close to an f1 car. It might have a good amount of power, but it isn't lightweight, and doesn't have a lot of aero.
Did you watch the video
Maybe cars like the McMurty are kinda close, but nothing touches an F1 cars performance.
@@boudewijnb it has more than enough aero for a safety car unless you want henry the hoover on 4 wheels
Well you see the real question is: "Why isn't the Formula 1 Safety Car a Formula E Car?"
same reasons
This man is asking the real questions. I'm curious as to why it's not a Formula E car as well
Stop hating on Formula E
@@Smith559 same reasons listed in the video
Cause eco-friendliness means FE SC must also be a BEV or something
I think for special/historical races I think it would be cool to get a F1 car from the past like how a few years ago in nascar Richard petty drove his car for the start
Yeah and also the safety cars look very cool already i especially love the Aston Martins so clean
Also, something you didn't mention is that it takes time to even start the engine within an F1 car. So the practicality of the safety car being an F1 car would plummet, and drag the whole race on even longer; especially if there's an incident on circuit.
Ask a team of 5x mechanical engineers to fix that issue and I bet they would find a solution before their 2nd meeting !
@@sebparent3501 Sure, they know more about F1 engines than F1 engineers and technicians do... 🤡
@@mickyblue9658 Yes, i was speaking of F1 mechanical engineers.
An f1 car styled like a recent safety car would look goofy
Another big part is down to the weather. You can’t essential communication devices and screens around when it’s pouring with rain.
I love how this video is just being crowned on so hard on Twitter. I love wtf1, but the memes coming from this video are legendary
After this explanation, it now seems like a ludicrous, and impractical idea. I honestly like using super cars as the safety vehicle. It’s those types of vehicles our F1 racers drive/own in their off time, which makes them part of the game in a way too I suppose.
The 2021 Haas would be a perfect candidate for this role.
I don't think so, safety cars sometimes have to run a couple of laps...
With all of this in mind, I have a slightly different but similar question: Aston Martin and Mercedes both have F1-inspired hypercars (Mercedes has the AMG-One, and Aston has the Valkyrie). Why aren’t those used instead? Think abt it: u get a passenger seat, a bunch of space for the computers, advertising for the cars being lent it, and without any of the problems that would plague a race car (these cars are street legal, so they need to be able to run at slower speeds unlike race cars like GT3 cars and F1 cars, which solves overheating and tire degradation), yet we also get a faster and flashier car that can go a little bit faster around each of the sectors to allow the F1 cars to keep heat in their tires and to keep heat out of the engine (obviously not too fast or it’s a safety hazard, but just to go a little bit faster for the sake of preserving the cars just a little bit better). Overall, I’d say it’s a win in almost every way, so why didn’t F1 announce that they would start doing this yet?
Well the problem is that the AMG One and the Valkyrie are super limited production run vehicles. 1) From the manufacturer perspective: These cars sell themselves. They don't need the exposure of being an F1 safety car. 2) From the buyer perspective: Imagine buying either the AMG One or the Valkyrie thinking you have such a special and rare car. However, every other weekend you see one of your cars being treated almost as a utility car. That probably would take a bit off the special premise of an ultra limited production hypercar. 3) From the manufacturer perspective again: You only made like a handful of these cars. Are you sure you want to use them as safety cars instead of selling them to deep pocketed clients?
Another point: You said the AMG One and Valkyrie can go a little bit faster around each of the sectors. It was already mentioned in the video (and a whole lot of other sources) that the current safety cars have no problem with speed. They are actually only using a portion of their full power. It's the FIA that mandates how fast these cars go. For sure, Bernd himself would probably like to go faster. He has all the tools to do it. Unfortunately, he simply isn't allowed to, and that's kinda a shame. I've always wanted to see what he can do once he goes all out.
I still remember a rainy race were the safety car was on track and the race driver complained about the SC being to fast for the weather. I sadly dont remember the year or track.
Well I think one of the biggest technical point is the time it takes to start a f1 car and the overheating problems while idling / running at slow speeds.
Can you imagine the safety car having an engine failure or something? That would be hilarious XD
In the US both NASCAR and Indycar have had pace cars (that's what we call them over here but they're the same thing) crash or go off track. It's _always_ hilarious when that happens.
The first thing I thought of before watching is was the obvious expenses to build, maintain and even power an F1 safety car. They won't just borrow an old car from a museum.
At some point every season Brundle lists good reasons for this. In addition to the video reasons essentially the safety car is idling for the entire race ready to launch into action if it needs to or it’s very quick to start up and launch. Not something an F1 car can do.
I've never consider the idea of an open-wheeler SC and I'll find it dumb to put one too. However, considering how F1 cars need a certain average speed that current SC cannot provide, I think they should be using GT3 spec SC to get a better performance for the F1 cars.
this isnt true
And I'm used to calling it a pace car (that is what we call them here on the other side of the Atlantic) And I also see you didn't use the Opal Vectra that was used in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
What I'd like to see is the Renault Espace F1 as a Safety Car for the French F1 GP!! That would be awesome!!!
If they really want to cut cost. They should get some safety drones with huge "SLOW" signs. Can be deployed and recalled at any time, no need to wait for the SC to drive into pit.
They don't need to cut costs, is that an F1 car is too expensive. Also you already have VSC, no need for drones. And don't forget that Mercedes and Aston are paying the FIA to have those cars there.
Yes, this! And then, during rain, the drone could fall into track and cause havoc, that would be so much fun!
@@overdosedaniel6025 My next suggestion was to dress the drones up as Cloud Koopa's.
This thought has never crossed my mind, but I will say that the coolest safety car was the Porsche 911 GT2 that was used for at least one race in 1995.
Thank you very much for this Video. Can you please make a Video about the medical car, too?
I actually thought the SC was going full tilt all the time just to go at a speed where the F1 car's tyres wouldn't go cold. The more you know
same😂😂😂😂
I really want to see the Rimac Nivera as a safety car.
Video idea: How do F1 drivers sign for different teams?
to promote Mercedes and Aston Martin road cars of course
It would be cool for special races to use a older model? You know at silver stone they could use a old Lotus F1 car and Ferrari a older model as well or if Monaco is going to stay around make it just for that weekend maybe? It’s cool concept and to think about but to use a brand new car or even the cars before the 22’ changes would still cost a lot.
Enourmously impractical? Yes. The coolest update Formula 1 could possibly make to the series? Also yes.
I think using old F1 cars would be even better. A Lotus 33 with the British racing green and yellow stripe livery would be awesome.
Such a disappointment as you didn't mention the Renault Espace F1. Yes, it is not looking like an standard F1, but has the power (and engine) of a standard F1, at least back then. It was used a few time as a safety car.
Also lets not forget the training. With a F1 car you need to be in good shape to withstand the forces and you need to train a lot to handle the car. With a road car you don't need so much training. It's a road car, so its build with a lot of assistant systems. ABS, ESP and so on. The FIA building an F1 car and copying stuff from other teams to get a decent package is one thing but with assistant systems, they either don't include it or need to develop it on their own and fitting it somehow in the car. It's way easier to use a road car that is sold on the open market and just throw your electronics in it. Obviously these cars can't go the race pace that an F1 car would do but they don't need to. They still could drive a decent pace, that the drivers would be happy about it but that won't happen. Usually there need to be people on the track during a SC and it's best they get as much time to handle stuff. Lets take the Austrian GP. Lets say an average lap time is 70 seconds (3 secs slower than the fastest lap in 2022). So the marshals needs time to go from and to their safe spots. You need to subtract the time it needs to let all cars pass. With last year Spa, we have a rough estimation on how long a full car train would be. At Spa it was 44,108 secs and thats 2,321 secs for each car. Lets just say 2 seconds per car and that is still 38 seconds (also Stroll got a 10sec penalty, that I forgot to subtract from it). Lets just say it take 10 secs each time to reach the safety spots + 20 secs safety margin (you finish what you are doing) and with that, the marshals have -8 secs to do stuff. Sure Spa is not Austria and a Quali Lap in 2021 was around 120 secs. With that the marshals have 42 secs to do stuff. The one rain lap behind a SC was 207 secs and that would be 129 secs for the marhsals to do work. To conclude, the SC not only need to drive slow trough the zone with the accident, but also need to drive so slow, that the Marshals can do their work. I mean usually at the end, the SC can drive faster, so the cars can get back into temps. Also the slower a SC drives, less laps are driven behind a SC. With a VSC its only needed to remove the stress from the drivers, so they can drive more safely through the accident zone but its not needed to have gaps. A yellow flag can be more stress, because up to the flag is race pace and at the green flag and during the zone, you try to be back at race pace.
Reminds me of an anecdote related by Prof Syd Watkins in his autobiography. He was tasked by the FIA to make racing safer for the drivers. He noticed most crashes happened on the first lap, so he came up with the medical chase car, that followed the cars around for the first lap. They were testing the concept at a Formula 2 (?) race. The driver, I think a DTM driver, asked Syd Watkins, how fast does he want him to go. The Prof answered, "as fast as you can". So the chase car was in 5th at the first corner and leading the race at the end of the lap! The driver took him too literally🤣🤣🤣🤣
I see it as a very clear distinction between safety and f1 car. Sure a safety f1 would look a lot different, but it’s still kind of weird to have one of the f1 cars slowing them down for some reason. A normal car on the track means it needs close attention.
Next: Why safety car isn't semi-truck? "Just because it might be too cool for F1"
My thinking when I saw the title is they would modify an existing f1 chassis to handle all the operating equipment. It doesn’t haven’t to meet any regulations so you could create an extended wheel base with a back driver seat. I don’t think that’s too far out of possibility. Agree the general upkeep would be 10 fold if not more than the current car, even if built for the purpose of been able to easily fire it up and get it on track.
Literally never wondered this, but great video. Very entertaining. Also, I hate the Saftey SUVs (just wanted to get that off my chest)
All we need is a 919 EVO Or a GTE, mabe a GT3 Something beefy
Well it's pretty simple "Saftey Cars" are safely driven and it is literally in the name A Fomrula 1/F1 Car is the exact opposite of that so yeah
I feel like NASCAR and Indycar utilize the safety car/pace car as a sales platform. Or, they did. Put a slick car or pickup truck ahead of the field to boost that make/models retail sales. I could be wrong but, I feel like that was a thing. They are obviously totally different race series from F1 but, it really was cool to see different vehicles leading fields to green or just leading them around the speedway or circuit.
i know for the 2019 season, one NASCAR Truck Series race was using an F150 Raptor as their safety "car" in place of their normal Chevy Silverado, just to pickup their end of the Ford sponsorship that race.
@@nightshadelenar Yeah, that makes sense. I guess. Lol. I wouldn't be too happy if I were Ford, having things thrown together like that, considering how much money they dump into that sponsorship. I’ve had the opportunity to have pit/garage passes for several races at Phoenix and Daytona… I’ve seen the money they throw into motorsports. Holy pajamas, it’s insane!
I think that another reason may be because it may take a while to get in and start up from being told to get in to actually driving, it would take at least 3 mins longer than that type of car 😮
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The FIAT Tempra was in Brazil and it was soo funny to watch that!! i cried out loud so hard!
Also it’s a lot easier to recognize that the safety car is out when it’s a road car that looks different than all the other f1 cars on the track
I think a better question is, why isn't the safety car some sort of spec-car? They could engineer a design that is cheap, goes a certain speed, and is reliable. But that's also kinda reinventing the wheel when the cars Merc and Aston provide fit that bill anyway.
Idk why I click on videos like this when I can think of plenty of reasons. I still end up watching lol
I did not see the point addressed where obviously an SC needs to be deployed quickly at a moment's notice. Is an F1 car going to sit there with tyre blankets and umbilicals for maintaining fluid temperatures until it's needed? If not then it will have poor grip as soon as it heads out, that is if it's even able to get started at ambient temperature considering the tolerances of the engine components.
we also have heard and seen many times that in cases of wet tracks etc, the regular safety car actually has way more grip than an f1 car
Ok so, since I'm seeing some people suggest other Race car categories as theoretically viable options, here is mine: LM Hypercar Why not have a LM Hypercar as the safety car? Those cars are built to endure, to be run at a LOT of conditions and for a long time. Plus, they are light, could run a similar engine to an F1 car (1.6L V6 Hybrid), have pretty decent aero, and also must have room for a second seat. Ngl, thinking about It, and ignoring all the advertising stuff and speed limits of the FIA, could be a REALLY viable option imo Edit: must note, I do like the current SC, having a Race car as an SC would feel weird. Just suggested that cuz its fun to think about it
Some may have space for a 2nd seat but it would be cramped, especially when space is required for a 2nd person AND all the equipment needed. So no, it wouldn't be viable. Opinions are fine but not when that opinion ignores all the facts.
4:50 "as of yet" 😂😂
You mentioning that Aston Martin and Mercedes pay big money to effectively advertise their brand Me, seeing the Aston Martin safety car: The slow one Me seeing the Mercedes safety car: the good one
Anyone even mentioned that in a sc a second person can sit which increases saftey overall aswell (i think he is called richard darker)
An interesting idea would be Williams giving one of their cars+pilots and telling them to lead the pack flat-out to match the SC pace.
I can think of a few other reasons; 1) Safety gear - Even though they wouldn't _normally_ stop like a track marshal would, I'm sure if the track was blocked and a car was on fire, they would carry at least one fire extinguisher. 2) They can handle debris far better than an F1 tire, and _way_ cheaper to replace the tires if they get cut anyway. 3) They can handle rain far better, I'd imagine. 4) Closed cockpit means better visibility during heavy rain - not to mention air conditioned for hot climates.
That's kind of what I was thinking. It's a more stable platform for navigating the track (in wind, rain, oily track surface, etc.) so it's safer. The SC doesn't just lead cars around, it's used in checks of the track, etc., so it's important that it is able to handle those conditions. An F1 safety car couldn't. I also wonder if part of it is in the case of a fast response, e.g. Grosjean's horrific crash. It's much quicker to pop your belt, open the door and run than it is to get out of an F1 car quickly.
Imagine a V10 F1 replica from the 00's as a safety car with a Ferrari/Merc/BMW/HONDA/COSWORTH V10....if you can neglect the screens and the bulbs would be quite fantastic....maybe it could lead only the last safety car lap to give some pace to the grid and warm them up more quickly....
That idea is almost as worse as suggesting the safety car should be a F1 car.
@@Alan-ww8vi if anything it is "as bad", but why?
If they were going to use an old F1 car I'd rather they use one of the pre-aero (or pre-wing technically) cars from the 60s. A Lotus 33 would be awesome to see.
I would love to see one of the new Mercedes AMG One cars as a safety car
id say the most you would get if you wanted a faster safety car is probably a bugatti chiron since its awd so it wont spin out, fast but expensive af
not to mention the fact that aston and mercedes would need to provide 3 performance ready cars per race, probably under the same fia spec all other cars would have to provide, undermining the budget and pre-season testing aspect of modern f1