Drivers to continue dumping tear-offs on famous streets

MONACO: Formula One's ruling body has followed local precedent by encouraging the drivers in this weekend's 74th running of the Monaco Grand Prix not to dump litter all over the famous old street circuit.
Not just any litter, of course, but the oil and muck-smeared tear-off strips from the visors fitted to their helmets, which routinely they rip off and throw away.
The International Motoring Federation (FIA), however, has taken a stern view of the practice - on safety grounds - and intended to introduce a ban, starting from Sunday's classic race, until the drivers forced a re-think.
That 'review' took place on Thursday, just hours after Australian Daniel Ricciardo had clocked the fastest time for Red Bull, ahead of the Mercedes team, in opening practice. The talks began during a routine drivers' briefing and resulted in the ban being lifted.
According to the FIA's Race Director Charlie Whiting, it would have been more dangerous for the drivers to dispose of a tear-off inside their cockpits, where there is little space, than out on the track.
"With this in mind," he said. "I felt the best thing to do was exercise common sense and ask the drivers to simply keep the amount of visors they use to an absolute minimum, bearing in mind, of course, that this will vary due to a number of factors.
"Based on this rationale, we do not intend to make a report about any driver disposing of a tear-off on the track, or in the pit-lane."
Whiting's view was welcomed. Most drivers had objected to the ban.
Briton Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, said it was "silly" but recalled that his McLaren Honda team-mate two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso had suffered two car failures in the last year due to tear-offs lodged in brake ducts.
"I decided, based on discussion with the drivers, they are likely to be put in more danger trying to dispose of tear-offs in the cockpit than they are from a tear-off on the track," said Whiting.
The ban on throwing them away was to be introduced at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but no alternative had been accepted.
Some drivers planned to make special pouches on their overalls, but these were deemed to be dangerous in the event of a fire and created other problems as they attempted to pocket their plastic tear-offs with one hand at high speeds.
"For this weekend, we've been permitted two tear-offs during the race itself," said Mercedes executive director Paddy Lowe. "I think that's sufficient."
The high-speed debris is expected to be cleared up along with the infrastructure of the circuit following the race. — AFP