May 4 (GMM) Formula 1 is considering increasing the pitlane speed limit in order to add more spice to the sport.
Prior to the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994, drivers could race into and out of their pitstops at the maximum possible speed.
“We all remember Nigel Mansell driving full throttle into the pit and full throttle out of the pit,” smiled Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack.
“That was pretty cool to watch. But it won’t happen again.”
Indeed, the proposal on the table isn’t a return to no speed limits at all – or even an increase at every single circuit.
But given that F1 is right at the end of a regulatory cycle, with closely matched cars and a big turbulence effect, some recent races have been less than spectacular.
Raising the pitlane speed limit would therefore make additional pitstops less costly and therefore more likely, shaking up the teams’ strategic options.
Already this year, F1 is mandating two pitstops in Monaco, while the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali has asked Pirelli to be more aggressive with tyre compound selection elsewhere.
As for higher pitlane speed limits, it is not being considered for every circuit – just the ones where narrow pitlanes have resulted in the lowest limits on the calendar, at just 60kph.
So, the idea is to raise the limit to 80kph in Melbourne, Zandvoort and Singapore. It is believed the measure is being pushed by Liberty Media-owned F1, rather than the more safety-focused FIA.
“Formula 1 has a working group investigating this issue to make the races more entertaining,” revealed Krack. “Of course, you’d have to weigh the safety factor against the spectacle.”
Monaco has already been ruled out for an increase to 80kph, while Krack added: “In Zandvoort, it’s simply too narrow there as well. Besides, raising the speed only has a limited effect.
“I don’t think increasing the speed just to improve the show is the right approach.”
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