The numerous incidents and safety-car interventions, especially during this rainy Sunday's double round at the Rio Grande do Sul circuit, are reason to question the safety of the circuit for the category's protagonists: the drivers
It was a chaotic Sunday, in the best Ney Franco, soccer coach, style, playing "Na Beira do Caos", what was seen in the Stock Car double round disputed at Velopark. If in the fifth round on Saturday (2), the races went by unscathed, without many accidents, the same cannot be said of the races won by Gaetano Di Mauro and Bruno Baptista, respectively.
The day started promising strong emotions, with heavy rain that fell in Nova Santa Rita, where the circuit is located. The lack of visibility was notorious during qualifying, and the race management acted so that the drivers would go to the track with tires suitable for the storm. Even Cacá Bueno was a factor, asking the same to intervene and hold the entrance of the drivers to the Velopark so that everyone could have minimum conditions to do fast laps.
The rain gave a truce for the two races disputed in the afternoon, but then, the melody was there: wet, the braked Velopark circuit caused many accidents. Allam Khodair, for example, lost control of his car during the safety-car slow lap and badly damaged his car. Diego Nunes slipped on the exit of the pit-lane and ended up on the fence, literally. And what about Lucas Foresti's impressive crash when he waved the checkered flag in race 1?
It was not a few times during the races that you could see drivers squeezing each other, especially on the pit lane, or going straight through turn 1 and practically crossing the circuit. There were several safety-car interventions during this round. The soap that became Velopark provided scenes such as the discussion between Tony Kanaan and Vitor Baptista because of an incident between them in the middle of race 2.
The fact is that, as traditional as the track is, it is not in accordance with the size of the cars that make up the category this season. It is difficult to fit two cars side by side on the circuit. And it is in this scenario that Stock needs to rethink whether the use of Velopark for the future is, in fact, safeguarded for its drivers, due to the numerous incidents seen. Unless it is possible to widen the track, otherwise the safety of the drivers needs to come first, and there were many complaints from those who were harmed by the confusions.
The category returns next July 31 for the double round at Interlagos, the seventh round of the season.