Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart believes the lack of overtaking in Formula One, compared to his era, is down to the tracks, not the cars.
The 71-year-old blamed Hermann Tilke for his part in designing circuits which fail to punish drivers for running wide or making errors as well as promoting overtaking.
“My belief is that the major reason for the lack of overtaking in modern grand prix racing is down to the modern tracks, nearly all of which have been designed by the same man, the German architect Hermann Tilke,” Stewart wrote in the Telegraph.
“The new circuits themselves must take their share of the blame. Put simply, they are largely carbon copies of each other and they tend not to penalise mistakes.
“The run-off area was so well manicured and without obstacles. Effectively [drivers are] able to make fairly big mistakes and still maintain position. That is plainly wrong.”
The Scottish driver offered up a solution, suggesting Tilke redesign some of his corners to punish drivers if they make mistakes, or otherwise, spectators could be without overtaking for ‘some time.’
“Tilke has been behind almost every new circuit in F1 since the early 1990s,” he said. “In some respects, he has done a great job, bringing fantastic amenities and luxuries to the sport. But I fear he has not done much for the spectators.
“Unless circuits are modified, spectators and television viewers might have to live with a lack of overtaking for some time.
“What if Tilke simply modified the corners around his circuits in such a way that if a driver runs wide he is penalised?
“What if the surface of the run-off areas was changed so that a car’s traction is reduced and a driver going wide loses ground either to the car he is following or allows the car chasing him to pass?”
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