The opening practice session of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne’s Albert Park was abruptly red-flagged on Friday, March 19th, due to safety concerns caused by erratic GPS data that led to numerous “near-misses” on the track. This article will explore what happened during the session and the impact it had on the drivers and teams.
Technical issues with GPS data during practice session
During the practice session, a server handling the FIA’s tire data malfunctioned, which affected the distribution network of several other data systems, including GPS positioning information to the teams. The loss of live GPS tracking created a safety issue, with drivers unaware of cars appearing behind them or going slowly ahead. As a result, several drivers almost collided with each other, causing chaos on the track.
Lack of information became a safety issue
Drivers were caught out due to slow traffic that was unaware of their arrival, leading to locking up of brakes and skidding across the grass in the penultimate corner. The lack of information became a safety issue as some drivers were still expecting radio calls that weren’t forthcoming. Drivers relied heavily on engineers and data to navigate the track, and not everyone knew that the GPS system was out.
Red flag call was necessary for safety
The red flag call was correctly issued as a precautionary measure because of the extra risk inherent to a street circuit featuring several blind approaches. The FIA stopped the practice session for nine minutes while investigating the problem before restarting it. During this time, there was much discussion among drivers and team personnel about what went wrong.
Impact on teams and drivers
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen said that drivers felt blindfolded by the sudden lack of data. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda almost hit a Ferrari, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll got stuck in slow traffic, and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg skidded off track to avoid a collision. The GPS outage was unexpected, and no one knew they’d need to worry about traffic around them.
Drivers are human and rely heavily on engineers and data to navigate the track. The technical issue affected the teams’ ability to see rivals’ activity and issue warnings, as is customary during busy practice and qualifying sessions. The lack of live tire information also caused teams to lose data about traffic, which led to confusion on the track.
Aftermath of the incident
After the incident, several drivers praised the FIA’s decision to stop the session due to the lack of GPS data for the teams, considering the high speeds and poor visibility. Formula 1 officials described what happened as an “unfortunate” technical problem that was hopefully a one-time occurrence. Measures were put in place to prevent this type of issue from happening again, with officials vowing to investigate what went wrong.
In conclusion, the GPS outage during Formula 1 practice at the Australian Grand Prix led to near misses and a red flag. The loss of GPS data caused several drivers to have near collisions that could have been disastrous had they not been caught in time. The technical issue is a reminder that even with all the technology available today, unforeseen circumstances can still occur in sports like Formula 1 that require quick thinking and split-second decisions.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
