The FIA will trial a virtual safety car after first and second practice for the United States Grand Prix on Friday, in response to Jules Bianchi’s accident.
The system is aimed at ensuring drivers stick to a certain speed through each sector by way of a delta time which is believed to be about 35 per cent slower than a dry lap.
For example, a lap of the Circuit of the Americas is around 1 minute 40 seconds, therefore drivers would be forced to lap the circuit at 2 minutes 15 seconds if the entire circuit is covered by the limit.
It’s aimed at avoiding a safety car for each and every incident because of the delay this incurs when lapped cars are released.
Drivers will be aided by a dashboard display which will alert them if they’re going too quickly, which would also result in a severe penalty to ensure drivers stick to the enforced limit.
It’s not clear exactly how the system will operate; whether it will be circuit wide or limited to one or more sectors depending on the severity of the incident.
The FIA is due to discuss the system in more detail with the teams following Friday’s trial. It isn’t expected to be implemented fully until the 2015 season however.
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