ROUND 2: 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2024
Circuit stats
- First Grand Prix: 2021
- Number of laps: 50
- Circuit Length: 6.174 km
- Race Distance: 308.45 km
- Lap record: 1:30.734 Lewis Hamilton (2021)
- 2023 winner: Sergio Perez
Track Map
The jump starts are based on telemetry, if he was behind the sensor in his box and moved and was still behind, no jump start. You can technically start moving early, so long as you don’t cross the sensor before the lights go out.
I hope this is not going to give others ideas though. Don’t want to see the guys line up further back just to try and get more momentum before the lights.
His start was massively compromised as a result, since he stopped and started again.
Arguably defined his race v Piastri all told. I think it was right to not penalise him tbh
I agree that it was detrimental to him this time around since he lost focus and actually started far after the others because of it. I’m still interested in seeing if the decision was made because he actually fucked his own start or if it was because the sensors didn’t detect the jump though. If it’s the sensors I believe it could open pandora’s box as it would be a definitive advantage to get even the slightest of rolls before dropping the clutch.
I think the rule of thumb is if you catch it and stop before starting again you’re broadly OK. It happened in 2020 IIRC with the same result but for the life of me, I can’t remember who
This is not the rule. The rule as it currently exists is completely based on if the sensor detects movements which are greater than the amount specified by the regs. If Norris had started moving 0.05 seconds before lights out but moved a low enough distance as to not trigger the sensor, it is considered a legal start even if he made no attempt to ‘catch it’.
Yep that’s exactly my concern. This seems abusable. Drivers could theoretically stop further back from the grid and use that distance to get the car rolling before fully dropping the clutch, limiting tire slip. Someone posted the rules about grid placement and while there is a rule against sideways position or angle, there isn’t anything about being further back. It’s probably not going to happen but I personally would try that short rolling start in practice just to see.
Its happened before, I remember Bottas 2020 in Hungary. As far as I know, the timing for the final lights out is random so you can’t reliably time it.
Yeah I remember him having a crazy 0.00something reaction time. I even remember Vettel straight up saying he didn’t believe that in post races interviews. It was probably a case of perfect anticipation more than reaction.
Trying to find it, I think your thinking of Japan 2019, but I’m not sure.
I was just looking back at Hungary, and he was reacting to something in the car. Same forward, stop, start that happened here.
Ahh might be I was just going from memory. Was Bottas though.
The above comment is referring to Austria 2017 where bottas made an incredible start. It was certain he had predicted the lights and not reacted. He started moving almost simultaneously with the light going out.
I am aware of this. He moved an awful in the race so I don’t get how he didn’t cross the sensor. He looked past the white line when the lights went out.