Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has claimed that while Ferrari could argue against some of the regulation tweaks, safety far outweighs any argument the Maranello outfit would have.
One area that Ferrari dominated in the opening three rounds of the season was the race start, and now a refinement to the regulations has been introduced to prevent dangerous situations caused by cars becoming bogged down at the start.
Advertisement
A new ‘low power start detection’ system, which will identify cars with abnormally low acceleration after clutch release, will be introduced from the Miami Grand Prix. Once a car is detected as having low power, an automatic MGU-K deployment will be triggered to give a minimum level of acceleration.
Coulthard discussed the regulation tweaks on the Up To Speed podcast with co-host and Sky Sports F1 presenter Naomi Schiff.
“One of the questions that I got from, clearly a Ferrari fan, was, ‘What do you think of the FIA changing the rules to disadvantage Ferrari at the start?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I understand where your mind’s at with that,'” Coulthard explained.
Advertisement
“But actually, on the grounds of safety, they’ve tweaked the potential for a massive sort of danger, if we call it that, as the cars go off the grid. So, if you have a big variation in speeds, then we could have a dangerous situation.
“You could argue that if somebody was to stall the engine on the grid, there’s always the potential for that. But over the years of development of Formula 1, they’ve developed anti-stall systems that make it incredibly unlikely that that would ever be the case.
David Coulthard on the grid during the Sprint
David Coulthard on the grid during the Sprint
“So effectively, what they’ve done is help the teams that have, for various reasons, designed a power unit that is more tricky to get off the line using the internal combustion engine turbo combination. They’ve allowed a power deployment there if it drops below a certain torque level, which will then enable the car to keep moving at a predetermined speed.
Advertisement
“So yeah, look, Ferrari could arguably go, ‘Well, that’s not entirely fair because we made a choice when we designed our engine.’ But on the other side, and this is where actually Formula 1 does come together in the interest of safety, no one can argue that it’s not the right thing to do.
“These cars are incredibly strong, incredibly safe. But if you have a standing car on the grid and another one arriving at 100 miles an hour, there’s a lot of weight, a lot of mass, and a lot of potential there.
“So that’s the beginning and end of it. The change has been made. That should mean we’re not seeing big closing speeds off the start. And it still comes down to the same thing. You don’t win the race at the start. You can certainly lose it. You win the race at the chequered flag, which is an hour and 20 minutes or an hour and 30 minutes after the start.”
Advertisement
Photos from Miami GP – ThursdayGeorge Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Atmosphere
Atmosphere
Maya Dehlin Spach / LAT Images via Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Advertisement
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
The Ferrari front wing
The Ferrari front wing
Kym Illman / Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Hector Vivas / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Hector Vivas / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Advertisement
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
Sona Maleterova / Getty Images
Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
Sona Maleterova / Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Advertisement
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Hector Vivas / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Brett Farmer / LAT Images via Getty Images
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Brett Farmer / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Advertisement
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Hector Vivas / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Sona Maleterova / Getty Images
A general view of the paddock inside Hard Rock Stadium
A general view of the paddock inside Hard Rock Stadium
Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Advertisement
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Advertisement
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Hector Vivas / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Hector Vivas / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Brett Farmer / LAT Images via Getty Images
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.