Every Formula 1 race weekend, there are constant complaints about drivers being blocked when on a fast lap. Expect more when United States Grand Prix qualifying happens later today.
Yet there is a simple solution that could be implemented immediately to prevent these near-misses.
The extent of the problem is obvious. There have been stewards’ investigations into impeding on 12 out of 17 race weekends already this year, with a total of 14 punishments issued, some of those grid penalties. And even when it doesn’t go this far, the airwaves are filled with drivers complaining about being held up over the radio.
This doesn’t need a complicated fix that requires you to reinvent the wheel or spend huge amounts of money. It doesn’t even need something new to be added.
Simply change the regulations to double the size of the rear-view mirrors and more closely define the ideal position for those.
By 'ideal' I don’t mean aerodynamically ideal - I mean for the driver’s line of sight.
To give an idea of the size, I’ve highlighted what I would do in white on the Mercedes in the image on the right. You can see the comparison to the current standard size mirrors on the Red Bull on the left.
Yes, it will create a little more drag and make the aero design more difficult, but it’s more important to reduce the number of times qualifying is changed by impeding.
Then the emphasis can be on the driver to be responsible for their actions. The mirror position will be specified - and to ensure that nobody attempts to exploit any grey areas or loopholes, you can have a supplementary test that requires a driver to be able to sit in the cockpit and read something on a board placed in specified positions behind the car. So like an eye test, but backwards.
We often hear about the drivers’ rear-view mirrors vibrating. Surely this problem is not beyond the might of F1 and its design teams to solve. And if it is, there are numerous vibration specialists out there that would be only too happy to come up with a solution.
If a team enters a car that still suffers mirror vibration problems, then that comes under 'dangerous construction'. If the driver can’t see a car behind them, then they have to suffer the consequences of the situation that the team has put them into.
There are occasions when the drivers have had penalties reduced or sometimes even dropped entirely because of poor information from the pitwall. Yes, it is helpful to have this information and it should continue - but the onus to comply should be on the driver.
By giving the drivers better visibility, it would give them no excuses for not paying attention.