(Motorsport-Total.com) – The controversial ending at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, which ended behind the safety car and thus without final race action, has sparked major discussions. Former Haas team principal Günther Steiner has also expressed his opinion and possible suggestions for the future.
Read more «Macarena» wing explained: Why Red Bull has a problem — and Ferrari doesn’t
“So we need to start an initiative soon,” said the South Tyrolean during an appearance on The Red Flags Podcast. “You know what I always say: full-time race stewards working on a concept. This is not a criticism of the stewards, because they are not to blame; the race director is responsible.”
“But if the race director had permanent stewards, these permanent stewards would help him find ways so that we don’t experience a situation like Silverstone again.” Steiner is particularly bothered by the procedure with the lapped cars.
“I would say: If the lapped cars have already caught up by half a lap and there is only one lap left to go, they will no longer be caught by the leaders. So they are not in the way,” says the former team principal. “You could release the race. But the race director obviously strictly adhered to the regulations.”
Günther Steiner doubts a software error
The South Tyrolean doubts the FIA’s explanation that a software error caused the message “Safety-Car in this lap” to be mistakenly displayed during the safety car phase. “I think they said: ‘Oh, let’s restart the race.’ And someone else said: ‘That’s not possible, because the regulations forbid it.'”
“Then it probably went: ‘Oh, I’m out of here. Just stop everything. I don’t want to embarrass myself.'”, Steiner believes the message was based on a human error. “I have thought a lot about the FIA’s technical side, and I think they are quite good and well organized.”
Read more Formula 1 Calendar: Bahrain Return Excluded, Concerns About Season Finale
“Nikolas Tombazis [FIA Formula Sport Director] is, in my opinion, doing a good job with the resources available to him. Of course, there is always something, but he takes care of it. If there is something to change, he is on it, works on it, and finds solutions.”
Steiner believes: AI can simulate all scenarios
One of these solutions to handle the almost infinite variations of a race finish would, according to Steiner, be the increased use of artificial intelligence. “We had the biggest debacle in Formula 1 in the last 50 years five years ago, and did we find a reasonable solution? No.”
“If you had full-time people working on the solution there, a software program or AI could really help find a quick solution to this problem,” believes the former team principal. “You don’t have to think yourself. These cars already have a half-lap lead.”
“You have to set the rules in advance, not during the race, because then you can’t change them anymore. If this scenario occurs, you have a solution, but you have to present it beforehand. You have to simulate a million scenarios. A human can’t do that.”
Read more Mercedes problems open a chance for Ferrari in the World Championship