The promoters for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix have made several alterations to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas to combat track limit breaches.
Last year, the topic of track limits reared its head at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
High-speed corners and large asphalt run-off made it hard for the FIA to keep track of multiple breaches of track limits.
Haas had a right to review rejected by the FIA last year, with the American outfit claiming several of its rivals went beyond track limits at Turn 6 at COTA.
Still, upon the hearing and with track limits being a consistent issue in 2023, the FIA acknowledged that “further solutions should be found before the start of the 2024 season.”
The organisers of the F1 United States GP have revealed necessary changes have been made to help combat track limits breaches and make the job of policing them easier for the FIA Race Stewards.
Asphalt verges at Turns 6, 13, 14 and 15 have been narrowed by 1.5 metres and replaced with turf, encouraging drivers not to breach limits for fear of losing control.
In addition, cameras have been added to help monitor breaches.
Changes balancing F1 and MotoGP concerns
COTA, like many other circuits on the F1 calendar, also hosts MotoGP and considerations have been made that cater to both two-wheel and four-wheel racing.
This is not a new practice, the Red Bull Ring in Austria was able to install temporary gravel strips to combat F1 track limits breaches, which were then removed to allow MotoGP to race safely in Spielberg.
In Zandvoort, the organisers of the Dutch GP introduced resin-bound gravel traps, which would provide a necessary deterrent against track limits breaches, but without distributing loose gravel, an important safety measure for any racing series.
A resin-bound gravel trap has been introduced at COTA’s Turn 11, replacing ‘turtle bump’ kerbing.
F1 United States GP Promoter Bobby Epstein explained the theory behind the COTA circuit changes to Motorsport.com, saying “there are some areas where it’s hard [to make changes] because, if you run MotoGP and F1 on the same track, one wants gravel in an area where another one wouldn’t.
“You can’t have both, and you can’t cut into the track and put in gravel, then flip it back and hope it stays watertight when you have clay underneath it.
“So there’s some back and forth challenges to it.”
Important COTA track resurfacing completed
Another challenge that Epstein has sought to overcome is COTA’s famous bumpy track surface, which came under criticism in 2023.
Aston Martin was forced to retire Fernando Alonso’s car through floor damage and Max Verstappen argued that COTA was not at “F1 level.”
As a result, track resurfacing has occurred at COTA, with Epstein saying “it was mainly to get rid of the bumps.
“Some of that track was 12 years old, so it was time.
“I know Max gave it a pretty poor review last year. So I hope we hear something positive.
“I’m certain we’re going to hear: ‘This is like a totally new track. It’s fantastic.’”
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