Ferrari are on course to bring their pitstop light system back into action this year, the team have confirmed, after making modifications to prevent a repeat of the dramas they suffered in 2008.
The Maranello outfit opted to use a more traditional lollipop system in the final three races of last season after a mistake in the Singapore Grand Prix resulted in Felipe Massa being released from his pitstop while the fuel hose was still attached.
It is understood that Ferrari’s light system had been switched to manual mode during the safety car period in Singapore – which meant Massa’s pitstop release was handled directly by a member of the pit crew rather than when the fuel hose had been released.
That blunder cost Massa valuable points at a time when he was locked in a tight battle with Lewis Hamilton for the championship. In the end, he lost out on the crown by just one point.
At the time, Ferrari said they retained faith that the light system was better than using a lollipop – but felt it would be better for the pit crew to revert to a more traditional setup.
Team principal Stefano Domenicali said after taking the decision to rest the light system: “In this moment we need tranquillity and therefore we prefer to go back to the old system.”
Following the season, Ferrari conducted a full analysis of what went wrong in their pitstops this year and, following procedural and software changes, they are now confident that they have put in place failsafe systems that will prevent a car being released early.
A Ferrari spokesman told autosport.com: “We can confirm our plan is to use the pit light system again. We will test the modifications soon and then see how we progress from there.”
Ferrari’s team manager Luca Baldisserri told Italian newspaper La Stampa that the team were confident they had eradicated any problems with their pitstop lights.
“We’ve analysed the mistakes made in 2008 and we’ve improved the system,” he said. “An electronic program will prevent the car from leaving when the fuel hose is still attached.”
by Jonathan Noble via AutoSport
