F1 TRACK CHANGES CONFIRMED AFTER FIA FARCE AT AUSTRIAN GP
Alterations to the Austrian Grand Prix circuit, known as the Red Bull Ring, have been made in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the absurd track limits saga which overshadowed last year's action in Styria.
In 2023, 47 lap times were deleted in qualifying. In the race, that number rose to 83 alongside a number of penalties as race control examined over 1,200 track limit incidents.
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The most farcical element of the weekend was that the race classification was not finalised until five hours after the chequered flag was waved.
Aston Martin had protested that penalties were not being enforced for track limit violations, and this prompted a host of post-race time penalties being added and a reshuffling of the order at a point where some drivers had probably already left the country.
The FIA were under fire for their delayed action, and now the Red Bull Ring has moved to make changes which are hoped to eliminate the possibility of this happening again.
What changes had been made to the Austrian Grand Prix circuit?
An overwhelming majority of these track limit violations - in fact, all 83 in the race - occurred at turns nine and ten.
2023 pole-sitter and race winner Max Verstappen said that drivers were made to look like 'idiots' and 'amateurs' by the deleted times, and Red Bull director Helmut Marko called on organisers to resolve the 'farce'.
The FIA reiterated their desire to see gravel traps introduced to combat the issue, and now the circuit runners have acted in accordance with this.
Two-and-a-half metre-wide gravel traps have been implemented on the exits of the two offending corners, which Erich Wolf, the Managing Director of the Red Bull Ring, thinks will address the issue adequately.
"Anyone who drives into it or touches it is at a disadvantage. That solves the problem by itself," he said at the "Red Bull Classics" press conference.
Formerly, without gravel traps, cars would run wide at the final corners and not lose time due to the relatively smooth run-off.
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Calls for gravel traps were previously rejected, in part due to consideration for MotoGP, which also holds an annual race at the circuit.
The series tends to avoid the measure in high-speed areas, but the new additions to the Red Bull Ring are small and could be covered for the visit of MotoGP in August.
"It all has to fit together," Wolf explained. "We can't optimise the track for one and then the others can't drive anymore."
Gravel traps have made something of a comeback in recent years after asphalt became the preferred run-off option.
Gravel prevents more of a deterrent for cars, which are significantly slowed and can become beached in larger traps.
Whilst beaching will not be an issue in Austria, it is hoped that the measure will keep drivers inside the lines, and punish them naturally for going off-circuit so that an excessive time penalty fiasco is not required over the weekend.
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