For many in the paddock, the Austrian GP is one of the highlights of the Formula 1 calendar – if only it weren’t for the annoying issue of track limits. For this year’s Grand Prix, the FIA has called for changes to the Red Bull Ring following the fiasco in the 2023 season. Motorsport-Magazin.com took a look at the new solution on site.
Most of the problems occurred in the two final corners nine and ten. There, the drivers were carried far out into the asphalt run-off area. There are two strips of gravel at these critical points for the 2024 Formula 1 race.
There are now 2.5 meter wide strips of gravel directly behind the kerbs. The problem: Because kerbs are arranged in double rows at these points, a track limit violation would theoretically still be possible even with a gravel bed.
Because it was not possible to remove a row of kerbs in such a short time, the FIA used a trick: the white line that defines the track boundaries is no longer on the edge of the asphalt strip at these points, but on the kerbs. This is possible because the kerbs are still very flat for the first few centimeters.
The first part of the kerbs is therefore painted black. Behind it is the white line. Because the white line would not be visible on some of the red/white kerbs, a blue line was drawn behind it. This makes it easier for the race director to decide whether a car was still on the track or not.
Even with gravel, if a driver drives past the line with all four tires, his lap time is canceled. Race director Niels Wittich is uncompromising here, regardless of whether an advantage was gained or not.
“They will notice where the limit is – and that’s exactly what they wanted,” explains Wittich. In recent years, the pilots had complained that it was impossible to judge the track limits in the cockpit. Similar measures were therefore taken in Shanghai. “The feedback was very positive,” says Wittich happily.
Red Bull Ring rebuilds for MotoGP
Improvements were also made in other places at the Red Bull Ring. The problem was that there were already gravel beds in many places, but the distance to the track was too great. Therefore, the white line in turns 1, 3, 4 and 6 was moved to the outside. The distance to the gravel bed is 1.80 meters there. This should also make the track limit discussions a thing of the past for Formula 2 and Formula 3.
In 2023, there were 84 track limit violations at the Grand Prix alone, 130 deleted laps, and a total of 20 penalties, 12 of which were imposed after the end of the race. The track limits were already a major issue in qualifying and the sprint.
Other tracks are also to be improved in a similar way. In Austin, for example, such changes are conceivable. The advantage of this solution: Because it is only a small strip, the reconstruction work is not particularly expensive. After the Formula 1 weekend, the gravel beds are filled with asphalt again. For motorcyclists, small gravel strips are an unpleasant solution. A few weeks after the Formula 1, the MotoGP will be visiting the Red Bull Ring.