FORMULA ONE bosses have opened the door to more flexible race start times, to ensure severe weather does not impact future Grands Prix.
Last month’s Belgian GP was controversially run for just two laps under the safety car, due to endless downpours over Spa.
The Formula 3 season decider was then moved back a day at last weekend’s race in Russia, amid predictions of heavy rain.
Race director Michael Masi has stated that discussions will be held in the coming weeks about making race start times more flexible.
But he refused to admit that these are a reaction to the Spa debacle, with the F3 move not solely decided by himself.
On how start times are formulated, Masi said: “I think it’s something that we’re going to be discussing in the coming weeks.
“We said following Spa that there’s obviously a whole lot of strategic discussions that need to take place between the FIA, F1 and the ten teams, and that’s going to be one of the discussions at the Strategy Group meeting.
“It’s not just a ‘pluck it out’ scenario, we’re talking about two completely separate governance structures between the three championships.”
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Teams, fans and F1 drivers have all called for a rethink on how severe weather is dealt with in future races.
An Alfa Romeo statement after the Belgian GP declared: “The situation would have been dealt with a lot more appropriately by not having at all the ‘race’ we witnessed.
“This outcome hurts us all, but in particular it hurts fans of the sport, who didn’t get the show they came to see.
“We hope lessons were learnt yesterday, lessons that will improve the way we operate in the future and that put the supporters of our sport in the position they deserve to be.”
Former racer and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle wrote: “The trouble is in Formula One that every rule change always has unintended consequences and opportunities, and so they end up being so convoluted.
“Every so often they need a reset and that moment is here.”
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