The FIA has implemented some bold changes ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Major changes have been made to the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend after last year’s race saw a staggering 1200 track limit violations and 12 post-race time penalties, including one for Lewis Hamilton.
Last year, cars were making the most of the forgiving run-off areas at the Red Bull Ring, going wide on the exits of Turn Nine and Turn 10 to give themselves a better run down the start-finish straight. This led to chaos for the final race result, with over 1200 infringements noted by race control.
As a result of some drivers’ generous interpretation of track limits, Aston Martin filed an official protest against the race result and the FIA was forced to trawl through a backlog of violations. The result was a host of penalties and a race result that was not made official until five hours after the chequered flag dropped.
Twelve of these penalties were handed out after the race with Hamilton and Carlos Sainz hit particularly hard. The pair were both awarded five-second time penalties during the race, but these were upgraded to 10-second penalties on review. Esteban Ocon picked up four different penalties for his troubles.
To avoid a repeat of this chaos in 2024, the track has experienced changes. A 2.5-metre wide gravel trap has been placed behind the kerb at Turn Nine and Turn 10, discouraging drivers from dipping their wheels over the white lines.
Additionally, the white lines at Turns One, Three, Four and Six have been shifted outwards, moving them closer to the gravel traps. In comparison to tarmac run-off, gravel is a strong deterrent for drivers due to the dramatic speed loss experienced during a trip through the rock.
This point was reinforced by race director Niels Wittich, who said: “That’s what they want and what they have asked for. They will get feedback, they will feel it when they get close to the gravel, and if they do dip a wheel onto the gravel it will penalise them because the car will be slower.
“It’s a natural deterrent and that has been the number one request from the drivers. It takes away any temptation to explore the limits because there is no gain anymore. If it’s just a line or just asphalt, drivers and teams will always go to the last millimetre because you can. But when you run over the gravel, it’s impossible to be faster.”
