Thanks to the brilliant footage from the camera fitted to Sebastian Vettel’s car in practice on Friday we can get rare insight into the viciously bumpy, brutally fast world the drivers inhabit while lapping Interlagos.
There’s some interesting details to pick up on, particularly how early he opens his DRS going through the Senna S, Bico do Pato and the exit of Juncao:
I think it would be terrific to see more footage from these cameras during races. It’s a bit bumpy and low-quality for full screen viewing for extended periods, and it could do with being positioned more to the centre and angled downward slightly.
But as part of a picture-in-picture display it would be terrific. Imagine the insight it would add to situations such as the Massa/Hamilton collision in India. Or footage from Monaco in the rain…
I hope FOM press ahead with this technology. But having first seen it fitted to Mark Blundell’s crash helmet at Spa 17 years ago, I’m not optimistic that widespread use of it in F1 is just around the corner.
So enjoy the video while it’s there. I’m sure Bernie’s goons will have it taken down soon and it might be a while before we get another one.