FIA explains track limits stance

The FIA has moved to clarify its position on track limits after 18 drivers had laps deleted during qualifying on Friday afternoon.

Breaches at Turn 9 and Turn 10 were most prevalent where drivers looked to open the fast right-handers at the end of the lap.

Sergio Perez was the highest profile victim, losing every representative lap he set in Qualifying 2.

That resulted in the Red Bull driver being eliminated from the session, leaving him 15th on the grid come Sunday.

Since the beginning of 2022, the FIA has adopted a more standardised approach to track limits, with the white lines on the edge of the track now the delineating marker.

Previously, a mixture of white lines or kerbs were used, varying from track to track and, in many instances, corner to corner.

While it has proved a popular tweak, the specifics of the Red Bull Ring encourage drivers to push the limits and, inevitably, cross boundaries.

With limited visibility, they occasionally overstep, at which point the FIA deletes the lap time and, depending on where the transgressions occurred, potentially the next lap too.

With the Red Bull Ring used for both four- and two-wheeled racing, some corners feature double kerbs.

Safer for motorcycle racing, they offer little in the way of a deterrent to drivers overstepping the limit, and hence having their time deleted.

However, respecting the circuit too much means leaving performance on the table, drivers are predisposed to go beyond the limit than pull back, leading to situations as were seen in qualifying.

Buit with lap times at the Red Bull Ring barely above 60 seconds, track limits breaches can quickly stack up as stewards review them each individually.

“Clearly this is something that we are very focused on and have a lot of resource deployed both in Race Control and at the FIA Remote Operations Centre to flag and review potential infringements,” a spokesperson for the FIA said.

“This review process has been a significant step forward in terms of efficiency compared to previous seasons, although naturally when there are a lot of things to review happening simultaneously, this takes time.

“In an ideal scenario in places where we can improve the situation for the drivers by asking the circuits to put gravel traps closer to the edge of the track we are doing this – this was done at Parabolica in Monza and has eliminated the track limits issue there – however in some places such as the Red Bull Ring this is not possible as it would create a safety issue for other categories racing here.

“We always give the benefit of the doubt to the drivers in marginal cases.”

The statement is similar to that made a year ago when F1 last visited the Red Bull Ring after a number of drivers received time penalties in the race.

Austrian Grand Prix: Deleted Lap Times, Qualifying