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  Drivers to keep dumping tear-offs on city’s streets

Drivers to keep dumping tear-offs on city’s streets

AFP
Published : May 28, 2016, 3:45 am IST
Updated : May 28, 2016, 3:45 am IST

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the second free practice at the Monaco racetrack on Thursday. The Monaco Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (Photo: AP)

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the second free practice at the Monaco racetrack on Thursday. The Monaco Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (Photo: AP)

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. 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, 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,” he said.

Location: Monaco