The number of runway limit violations committed by drivers in 2023
The track limits have not always been respected by Formula 1 drivers. The average number of infractions for the 22 drivers who participated in the 2023 championship is 32. Alex Albon is the worst performer with 60 track excursions, while at the other end of the spectrum, Liam Lawson only had five.
695 infractions for crossing track limits were recorded throughout the 2023 season, including practices, qualifying sessions, sprints, and races. During practice sessions and qualifying, the lap time is simply invalidated if the driver goes beyond the track’s boundaries.
In racing, the FIA allows for three track excursions. Starting from the fourth, the driver receives a five-second penalty, and ten seconds for a fifth off-track excursion with all four wheels outside the track limits. The penalty can be served during a pit stop or will be added to the driver’s time after crossing the checkered flag.
The bad and good students.
On average, throughout the season, the 22 drivers committed 32 track limits violations. Alexander Albon is the driver who committed the most, with 60 instances of going off track. Lando and Kevin Magnussen complete the podium with 50 and 49 violations respectively.
Pierre Gasly and his 45 track excursions have a total almost twice as high as his compatriot and teammate Esteban Ocon, who has 23. AlphaTauri drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson are the only ones below the ten infractions mark. The Australian has eight instances of going off-track, while the New Zealander has five.
| Drivers | Nombre d’infractions aux limites de piste | |
| 1 | Albon | 60 |
| 2 | Norris | 50 |
| 3 | Magnussen | 49 |
| 4 | Gasly | 45 |
| 5 | Sargeant | 43 |
| 6 | Hamilton | 41 |
| 7 | Leclerc | 38 |
| 8 | Hülkenberg | 38 |
| 9 | Sainz | 37 |
| 10 | Perez | 36 |
| 11 | Stroll | 34 |
| 12 | Tsunoda | 30 |
| 13 | Piastri | 29 |
| 14 | Verstappen | 26 |
| 15 | Russell | 26 |
| 16 | Zhou | 25 |
| 17 | Alonso | 24 |
| 18 | Ocon | 23 |
| 19 | De Vries | 16 |
| 20 | Bottas | 12 |
| 21 | Ricciardo | 8 |
| 22 | Lawson | 5 |
The five curves where the highest number of offenses were recorded.
The turn 10 and 9 of the Red Bull Ring are the ones where drivers went off track the most throughout the season, with 89 and 60 violations respectively. This Grand Prix was marked by a large number of penalties for exceeding track limits. The final result of the race was confirmed four hours after the race ended.
The layout of Losail circuit was disrupted by the resurfacing of the rumble strips just before the Grand Prix. It is at turn 5 of the Qatari circuit that 36 infractions were recorded. Other turns saw drivers going too wide and numerous lap times were cancelled during qualifying.
In Monaco, a large part of the circuit’s boundaries are delimited by metal barriers. However, the Port Chicane is an exception to the rest of the track. This is where 36 infractions were recorded, 29 times on the left of the turn, and seven times on the right.
27 track limit violations have been recorded for turn number 17 of the Silverstone circuit, called “the Club”, just before the finish straight. Among them, 15 times were deleted during the qualifying session. The remaining 12 occurred during the Grand Prix.
