Last year there was real chaos in the direction of the race after the end of the Austrian F1 GP. The stewards have 1,200 cases to examine drivers who managed to continuously and repeatedly exceed the limits of the track in the final corners of the Red Bull Ring, in the high-speed turns 9 and 10, where the cars enter very fast and it is difficult to maintain the vehicle on the asphalt and measure where to place the tires with such heavy vehicles. In qualifying, up to 50 different laps were cancelled. crazy But things got worse in the race, where, without an automatic detection system, the FIA had to investigate “more than 1,200 cases” before updating the final ranking after a complaint filed by Aston Martin.
Hours after the 2023 Austrian GP race, fans learned that the final result of the event was not yet final due to a mess that could have been avoided with the use of technology.
“Due to the characteristics of the circuit layout and the tendency of many drivers to repeatedly drive outside the limits, an unprecedented situation has arisen. “Possible violations cannot be checked during the race, “ the FIA declared at the time.
“To address the problem in the future, we will renew our recommendation to the circuit to add a gravel area at the exit of turns 9 and 10,” the FIA concluded.. The image provided is devastating. Could have been avoided. And a year later, the circuit took action and implemented a small gravel area at 9 and 10, just after the curbs.
The width of the curbs in that area is reduced to a measure of 1.8 meters and, just after those curbs, before the escape, an area of gravel was added. Anyone who exceeds the limits at that point will put a tire or car floor on the gravel, canceling their lap and you will run the risk of breaking the car. Additionally, a blue line was painted next to the white line and cameras were placed to monitor those boundaries.
Alonso’s response and his message to offenders
Aston Martin is the team that complained after too many off-track runs last year after its drivers, like Alonso, respected the rules by not going off. Therefore, a year later, Fernando Alonso applauded the decision of the FIA and Red Bull Ring and sent a clear warning to past offenders. “It won’t change much for us. But for others, gravel will change things“, said the Asturian in a press conference.
“It probably works, because if you put the car there, something will break the ground and, of course, the lap will be cancelled.”declared the man from Oviedo on ‘DAZN’.
“Last year, we didn’t have a problem because we kept the car on the track, so hopefully we didn’t touch the gravel all weekend, but for those who used the full track they have to control themselves a little more”he tried to add.
Verstappen, Leclerc and Tsunoda talk about that gravel
“It’s funny. These two curves are complex before being graveled. “Now it’s very clear where the limit of the track is and we won’t have those kinds of problems, which is good.”Charles said. Leclerc about it at the official FIA press conference.
“It’s a great track to drive on, I always really enjoy it, especially the high-speed corners, which are a lot of fun. With the holes there are, the limits of that track are always in question. It’s a problem when the tires overheat, especially the front tires, and many times you oversteer, and many times on the exit of the corner, a millimeter or 2 causes you to receive a penalty on the track limit. QGravel might stop it because you have to be more careful and more precise. Let’s see if that works,” argued the current champion, Max Verstappen.
“No one has a clear solution as to what is better because we have to share this track with MotoGP and other categories. It is difficult to find a perfect solution.”added the Dutch before a Yuki Tsunoda which highlighted how much gravel that gets on the track can affect qualifying if a car pulls into that area before another car does.
“Especially in qualifying, when someone leaves and comes back on the track, the gravel gets on the track again and that can compromise you., and this is the last corner, high speed, where you need good traction on the rear wheels. This may be one of the concerns. And you can also damage the bottom of the car. If this happens, it will be difficult to avoid that gravel”Japanese dispute.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
