The shocking news
Formula 1 will return to the track next week Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, the same event that, five years agowas shaken the day before by sudden and tragic news on March 14, 2019: due to a pulmonary embolism, Charlie Whiting he passed away at the age of 66. A person who is by no means secondary in the world of F1, given that the Englishman had long held the role of Race Director with passion and dedication, also contributing significantly to increasing safety for pilots.
A special 'thank you'
To him, for example, we owe the introduction ofHANS and of theHalo in Formula 1, initially highly contested but without which, probably, several accidents that occurred in recent years would have led to very serious consequences for the drivers. A solution to which other procedures have been added, which are also fundamental to avoid risks for pilots and track workers. During his career, unfortunately, Withing was also at the center of controversy for the death of Jules Bianchi, dating back to 2015 but due to a very serious accident that occurred at Suzuka the year before, when his Marussia went off the track at very high speed and hit a crane stopped at the edge of the track intent on removing another car.
The first years in F1
Having entered the world of motorsport in the mid-1970s, Whiting made his F1 debut in 1977 working with the team Heskethand then move on to Brabham as chief mechanic. It was also thanks to his contribution that Bernie Ecclestone's team managed to win two world titles with Nelson Piquet in 1981 and 1983. The new chapter of his career, however, opened in 1988 with the FIA, when he was appointed F1 Technical Director.
The F1 referee
From there, further growth to the role of Race Director and Safety Delegate hired in 1997. Still praised today by many experts for his decisions, as well as for his work and careful inspections of the tracks, Whiting also had to face heavy criticism. Above all, in addition to Bianchi's, that of the 2005 US GP. In that case, Michelin realized that the tires brought to Indianapolis were not safe (Ralf Schumacher's accident in free practice was proof of this). As a result, the French manufacturer asked Whiting to introduce a chicane, but the request, along with many others, was rejected. In this way, after the reconnaissance lap, all the Michelin-tyred cars returned to the pits, voluntarily withdrawing from the GP, with only 6 Bridgestone cars taking part in the race.
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