Formula 1 drivers say the changes made to the run-off areas at Imola are an example of how tracks should be designed.
Drivers have repeatedly complained about the flat kerbs and asphalt run-offs used at many circuits making it difficult to judge whether they have exceeded track limits. This has led to them receiving a spate of penalties at some tracks, such as the Red Bull Ring and Circuit of the Americas.However ahead of this year’s race at Imola several grap traps were extended, making it harder for drivers to get away with making a mistake. Following Friday practice, white lines at some corner exits were widened, making it easier for drivers to judge whether they remained within tracks limits.
As a result far fewer lap times were deleted for drivers leaving the track. Lando Norris said drivers urged race organisers to implement similar solutions in the past but were told it couldn’t be done.
“I feel like we’re just returning back to how it was six years, seven years ago,” he said. “I don’t know why they made [the run-offs] Tarmac. They said it was impossible that we’d ever go back, and now we’re just going back to kind of how it was.”
Norris praised the decision to widen white lines at turns six, nine, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 ahead of final practice.
“When you’re trying to drive and you’re trying to look where the white line is relative to your tyre and kind of guess, it’s just something we shouldn’t have to think about,” he said. “So it’s more down to the driver just taking the risk and committing to corners.
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“Especially on a track like this. We have to commit so much. It’s kind of that risk [versus] reward, which you have.”
Max Verstappen agreed, saying: “It’s great: You know that you get punished if you go wide.”
“You don’t need to look ‘is my tyre in the white line or not’, because of the changes that we made with the FIA to paint wider lines.”
Changes have been made to other circuits this year in order to prevent drivers gaining an advantage by using an asphalt run-off. A new gravel trap was installed at the final corner at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Oscar Piastri said these are changes for the better despite the increased risk of drivers ruining their laps or damaging their cars.
“For us it’s a welcome thing and I think China was a very similar example,” he said. “They added more gravel back in there and we were very complimentary of that work. So I think we would welcome it at other tracks as well.”
“It makes it a bit more difficult because the risk is more,” he added . “But we have track limits everywhere we go so there’s always the risk, even if the risk is a bit different. One is you end up in the gravel, completely ruin the lap or the car, and the other is you go a bit wide, but you ruin your lap as well. It’s a bit of a different risk.
“I think here, with some of the white line changes we made with the FIA, we don’t have to worry about whether we’re in the track or out of the track. We know exactly if we’re in or out. And for us, that’s the more satisfying thing and easier for us. So I think that was a good change overnight.”
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Gabriel (@gabf1)
19th May 2024, 7:39
Wo od be interested to hear what the rationale was for the move away from gravel traps was. Was it cost of installing & maintaining the? Or did the tarmac offer more (virtual) advertising space?
Red Andy (@red-andy)
19th May 2024, 8:00
Maintenance cost is one reason; the other primary reason is that many tracks rely on track days for much of their income, and participants are less likely to come along if they know that running slightly wide in their expensive track day car will damage it. Tarmac runoff is preferable for these reasons even though it is vastly inferior for actual racing.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th May 2024, 8:37
@gabf1 @red-andy
The actual primary reason tarmac runoffs started replacing gravel & grass ones over the years was that tarmac slows cars down about twice as effectively as gravel & grass.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
19th May 2024, 9:46
@jerejj I wonder if they could’ve just had tarmac for the run off from the straight, but gravel around the bend. So cars which arrive too hot either need to commit to the corner and potentially ruin their race, or bail out onto the run off and take a slow narrow return road back to the track.
Best of both worlds. Wouldn’t work for every corner, but I think is a good compromise between risk and safety.
Tristan
19th May 2024, 8:52
Gravel has a chance to flip cars if a tyre digs in and is obviously far more unsafe for bikes on circuits that run both.
I guess we’ll see in time whether these cars are vulnerable to that safety risk as more gravel comes back.
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
19th May 2024, 13:45
@gabf1 The push to move away from gravel from the FIA’s side was that tarmac runoff was deemed to be safer which at the time (Late 90s/Early 00’s) was a view that was shared by many drivers via the GPDA.
They looked a situations where gravel had caused cars to flip & also found other accidents where it was felt that gravel had either not slowed cars down adequately (Due to cars skipping over most of the gravel) or in certain situations made the accident worse.
At Eau Rouge for example it was found that cars going off at the top (Like Villeneuve in 98/99) the gravel was ineffective at scrubbing off speed as the cars would just skip over most of the gravel trap. Micheal Schumacher’s crash at Silverstone in 1999 was another accident where it was felt the gravel trap had been ineffective due to how the car skipped over it.
Then there were accidents like Luciano Burti’s at Blanchimont in 2001 where it was felt that the gravel trap made the accident more severe than it would have been with tarmac as when the car hit the gravel it broke the suspension which in turn severed the brake lines & obviously the steering. It was felt in that situation had the runoff been tarmac Burti would have been able to scrub off more speed & maybe had enough steering to have hit the wall at a less severe angle as well as lower speed. Hence why it was replaced with tarmac runoff the following season.
There were also secondary factors such as tarmac runoff causing less disruption to races as cars that spun and kept engines running could keep going rather having to be recovered by track workers/vehicles requiring yellow flags and/or safety cars.
And something connected to that was that it was seen as a positive that tarmac allowed cars that had had small spins to be able to get back into the race rather than getting stuck in gravel & retiring. I think some early surveys or pooling that was done around this time showed that fans wanted to see cars able to rejoin & carry on which was why the rule was later adopted to allow outside assistance so cars that had just spun/got stuck could rejoin if track workers were able to quickly & safely get them back on track.
Gabriel (@gabf1)
19th May 2024, 17:44
@gt-racer thank you for this detailed explanation
Jere (@jerejj)
19th May 2024, 8:38
More than 7 years ago, in fact, about 20+, & Shanghai merely received small-ish gravel portions at places, but overall, a good move to minimize track limit issues.
An Sionnach
19th May 2024, 12:11
I would prefer if the fastest way around the track was on the track. At the same time I can see that more and more rash drivers seeing gaps that don’t exist and punting their adversaries off isn’t something that can be easily addressed if they end up out of the race, with race-compromising damage, or have lost several positions. The modern run-offs make it possible to restore the order after more underhanded moves, but it has also encouraged drivers to try their luck, which has made stewarding duties almost impossible.
Perhaps the next thing to try is a slowing surface outside track limits and more severe penalties, including black flags and race bans, for aspiring gap seers and fighter pilots!