James Hunt talks about dangerous driving (Blocking)

James Hunt was analyzing the situation between Jacques Laffite & Rene Arnoux. That's when Arounx attempt to make a pass was blocked off by Laffite.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• James
• Hunt
• Murray
• Walker
• Zandvoort
• Jacques
• Laffite
• Rene
• Arounx
• tarzan
• corner
• Michael
• Schumacher
• Barrichello
• Will
• Power
• Castroneves
• superleague
• brands
• hatch
• 2010

[GreatWagersOfAnime]

I was under the impression that the point of racing was trying to get by the next person in line. If you've got a slower car in the straight, you're just supposed to let the guy go? What kind of racing would that be? They hire drivers to be DRIVERS, not to depend on their cars for results. If you're a better driver than the guy in front, prove it by getting by him when he tries to prove that he's better than you by making that impossible.

[bluemoon95]

@GreatWagersOfAnime I got no problems defending your postion, but if you going to get pass on a straightaway. Then you start moving across in front of the driver going to pass you. That’s blocking. Like the 1989 Toronto race I uploaded earlier. Plus the 2010 Superleague race at Brands Hatch or the tragic accident in 1996 Toronto race. That’s when Jeff Krosnoff was killed along with corner worker Gary Avrin.

[bluemoon95]

1980 Zandvoort

[yorricksfriend]

Keep in mind this was during an era where F1 was far more dangerous and many many drivers had been killed in the previous decade. Blocking was not the done thing in those days, whereas with increases in safety, and drivers like Senna and Schumacher - it has now become more common. And the I believe the official rule nowadays is you're allowed to change your line once on a straight, certainly not twice as that is deemed to be excessive blocking.

[fateola]

@GreatWagersOfAnime

Certainly Schumacher's move was much worse for the reasons you give.

[GreatWagersOfAnime]

@fateola If we're thinking of the same Schumacher move (when he runs Barrichello up against the pit wall), then I don't see (or at least don't remember) as much of a similarity as you seem to. The move in this video was made when the trailing car was still behind the leading vehicle. Schumacher, on the other hand, was still moving across the track while Barrichello was alongside him. I don't consider those moves related.

[fateola]

@GreatWagersOfAnime

You can move once to pre-empt a move by the opponent, e.g., move to the inside line just before you expect the other driver to try to attack down the inside, or just after if they are sufficiently far behind. You cannot pull across in front of someone well after they have made their move and have no time to react.

In this video, Laffite's move is marginal. The closing speed was high, leaving Arnoux little time to react to Laffite's block. Not unlike Schuey on Barrichello.

[GreatWagersOfAnime]

@2206411411 Just to clarify, when you say "veer into the path of an oncoming car," you mean that if the car behind has a draft, you can't get in the way? I admit that my knowledge of defending rules is somewhat dated; last I knew (and even then, only through hearsay), the rule was "you can veer once, and after that you have to hold your line."

Thanks for saying this. I might not agree with the rule, but that's my opinion. It's good to remember that drivers have to follow whatever rules apply.

[2206411411]

@GreatWagersOfAnime The rule in F1 is that you don't have to make it easy to overtake but you can't veer into the path of an oncoming car or "brake-test" them. Nor are you permitted to continue defending a position once the other car has nosed ahead - you have to give way at that point. So, Piquet vs Mansell at Silverstone when Piquet kept moving to keep Mansell's nose directly behind him was entirely legal, but once Mansell had sold him a dummy, Piquet couldn't swerve to block him.

[BallisticEVA01]

@GreatWagersOfAnime

Ok mate, no problem with that. I guess sometimes the problem here is what interpretation of words leads to different judgements, when after all, two people think the same thing.

Cheers mate, it was fun debating with you.

:)

[GreatWagersOfAnime]

@BallisticEVA01 Overall, my argument so far has been that putting your car in front of someone else's is not a problem. In this video, for instance, the leader is already moving over before the other car can get alongside. Shoving someone off the track once they're already alongside not what I'm advocating. If that's what you mean when you say "blocking," then I agree that it's bad, but when I say "blocking" I was referring to putting your car where the guy behind you wants his car to be.

[GreatWagersOfAnime]

@BallisticEVA01 Sadly, I missed the Japanese GP this year, so I don't know the maneuver you're talking about. I don't know if I can agree with you unless I know what happened. If Button was already alongside and Vettel pushed him to the edge of the track and tried to shove him off, that's bad. But if Button was coming up on him and Vettel put his car in front of Button's before Button could get alongside, there's no problem (as far as I can tell), even if that would make Button slow down.

[BallisticEVA01]

@GreatWagersOfAnime

I am not trying to annoy u. ur getting were i want to. U said "They hire drivers to be DRIVERS, not to depend on their cars for results."?

This is were we disagree and were u now agree with me.Theres a limit were u can go on how to defend ur position. The other driver cant put his car in his pocket all of a sudden. Vettel made Button have to brake in japan to avoid contact. For me thats what u were defending and for me thats blocking.

Very different of closing the door.

[GreatWagersOfAnime]

@BallisticEVA01 Then we are on different pages altogether. I have no more respect for someone who drives someone else into a wall than anyone else does. That said, the discussion has been focused on the maneuver shown in this video, at least as far as I knew. There's no zigzagging here. Beyond that, I really don't get your distinction between blocking and shutting the door. If you're saying to quit moving over when someone's nose is alongside, then why are we arguing? I agree.