The Silverstone circuit has been modernised using elements of the answer used on the Red Bull Ring, so as to address the restrictions of the Formula 1 track.
Every week ago on the Austrian Grand Prix, recent FIA rules were announced, adding gravel and reducing kerbs to stop drivers robotically running wide without consequences beyond removing lap times.
Now that Formula 1 has moved to Silverstone, drivers will likely be facing much the identical system at two key points on the circuit which were the main focus of restrictions lately – Stowe and Copse – but with a couple of differences.
At Copse – the fast right-hander that was the primary corner at Silverstone for a few years – the changes were made without adding any gravel.
The FIA has requested that a white track boundary line be painted on the corner exit kerb, just like the addition of miniature gravel traps on the ultimate two corners of the Red Bull Ring, to scale back the width between the far fringe of the kerb and the within fringe of the white line to 1.5m.
As with Austria, this size was chosen because F1 cars are 2 metres wide and reducing the gap makes it easier for drivers to see once they are approaching the track limits – a change the F1 team has been asking for for a very long time.
The white line painted on the curbs also includes the identical blue line utilized in Austria to make driving even easier for drivers.
According to Motorsport.com, although there isn’t any gravel at this location outside the run-off zone, the FIA believes the difference in grip between the run-off zone and the track is sufficient to act as a deterrent.
The changes are different at Stowe and are believed to have been made with the consent of the MotoGP riders who will race at Silverstone next month.
The gravel pit outside the Stowe track has been moved in towards the track by 6-8m in places and the white line on the exit kerb has been moved to the left, just like what happened at Copse.
There continues to be a big area of water runoff across the width of the kerbs and between the elongated gravel pool.
According to Motorsport.com, the plan to make use of the identical system at Silverstone as in Austria was drawn up by the FIA at the identical time for each circuits.
During a review of track limits last yr, the governing body identified these two circuits as the most important problem and intends to take motion to host a Formula 1 event there in 2024.
Motorsport.com also understands that while other venues where track restrictions are a big issue are unable to accommodate recent gravel traps or extend existing ones, the FIA plans to implement a white line movement solution at some upcoming events.
This would a minimum of reduce the width of the kerb and discourage drivers from driving so wide in some places.
The results of the track restrictions in Austria were also felt at Silverstone, with Williams driver Logan Sargeant and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri still smarting from losing vital lap times in qualifying at Turn 6 on the Red Bull Ring.
The kerb width was reduced by the movement of the white line, but only by 1.8m, and a bit of further on the precise, by a concrete area, there was a gravel trap. Piastri was so frustrated by losing time in Q3 on account of a large run through this area that he called the situation “embarrassing” in a post-qualifying media appearance.
“I think there are two points for me,” Piastri said on Thursday. “The first is that if there may be room for a automotive to depart, we monitor it in a good way.
“The evidence that led to my lap being removed got here from a helicopter that was flying just at me during that lap, which is a bit painful [and the point of McLaren’s protest into the issue] when there are other individuals who potentially also left without having a helicopter with them.
“So I feel it's a really advantageous line and we’d like to have some discussions.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 2nd place, on the post-Sprint press conference
Photo: Mark Sutton / Motorsports images
“But the simplest approach to eliminate it’s to widen the white line by 20 cm [at that point] and also you don't should worry about it in any respect.
“I’ll repeat what I said last week: I feel the shot where you’ll be able to see half of my wheel hanging off the concrete, almost within the gravel, to me is a very cool shot that everybody desires to see.
“So I feel, yes, it’s only a shame that with all of the work we’ve done in so many other areas, we’ve still left quite a whole lot of room for what finally ends up being quite a painful issue for everybody.
“Of course, it's painful for me because I'm the one who deleted the video, but I feel it's also painful for all of the fans. I don't think anyone desires to see whether or not they're inside or outside of me.
“There's a white line there, and if I had gone half a metre wider I would have completely destroyed the floor, the car and I wouldn't have done a single lap, so I think there are some points for that.”
Other changes to the track include a ‘combination’ kerb on the right-hand side of the Village (Turn 3), in keeping with event notes released by the FIA on behalf of race director Niels Wittich.
A gravel trap has been added to the left side of the Chapel and the primary a part of the Club complex, reducing the asphalt runoff to 1.7m on the precise side of the track.
The connecting kerb on the within the primary a part of the Club circuit – Turn 16 – has been replaced with grass, while the asphalt run-off section on the left-hand side of the service straight has also been grassed over.
The white line on the left of Turn 11 (Becketts) and Turn 17 (Club 2) has also been moved further to the left – just like the situation at Copse and Stowe.
