Red Bull Ring: an iconic circuit, but still suitable for modern F1?

The Red Bull Ring has renewed its contract with F1 until 2025, yet last year, many criticized it as a flurry of penalties were handed out due to track limit violations. As a reminder, during a Grand Prix, each driver is allowed three track limit infringements before a black and white flag is shown, warning that the next violation will incur a penalty. A new infraction results in a five-second penalty, and a fifth infraction results in a 10-second penalty.

This year, not a single penalty, only a few times canceled. Is the circuit wide enough to accommodate the current F1? According to the drivers, questioned by Motors Inside in a post-Grand Prix press conference, the answer is yes. “I no longer think it’s a problem today. The changes that have been made to the track are actually quite effective in ending the problem that existed before,” Charles Leclerc explains to us.

Indeed, there have been modifications. After the 2023 masquerade where 1,200 contentious situations were dismissed by the FIA and a 30-second penalty was imposed on Esteban Ocon, the authorities made some decisions to prevent such a scenario. Despite these changes, the circuit remains a truly narrow and demanding whirlwind.

« It’s already a sufficient penalty to go off track on such a circuit »

To limit track limit infringements in Austria, the FIA has modified several areas of the Red Bull Ring. A 2.5-meter gravel strip has been installed behind the curbs at turns 9 and 10, and the white line has been moved in other corners (1, 3, 4, and 6) to reduce the distance to the gravel to less than 2 meters, making off-track excursions less advantageous. A blue strip has also been added behind the white line to help identify infringements. These measures aim to discourage drivers from widening their trajectory.

« It’s already a sufficient penalty to go off track on such a circuit, » insists the Monegasque driver. In other words, if you go off, you find yourself stuck in the gravel trap, or to a lesser extent, you put your wheels in it and lose time. « Yes, I agree. There is gravel in the main corners where if you went off, you would gain time. Now, you can’t gain any. I went off and lost a lot of time, » Lando Norris tells us.

**The gravel trap is scary**, so these changes have proven to be very effective, more so than a time penalty since no driver has exceeded the limits to the point of being penalized. « Last year, I received a five-second penalty for trying to overtake, trying to race, which makes sense. But those things (track limit penalties), I think it’s a bit stupid. On the other hand, I think this circuit is much better than a few years ago. There were about 200 off-tracks. Now, I think there are no penalties anymore. »

The FIA plans to further tighten its controls by using artificial intelligence and blue lines on other circuits to improve the detection of track limit violations.