Poor track-limit policing and inconsistent kerb designs during the Formula 1 season encourage drivers to take the liberties causing problems in Austrian Grand Prix practice, argues Sergio Perez. The high yellow kerbs in the final section of the Red Bull Ring were a big talking point during Friday practice, with Stoffel Vandoorne suffering a broken front wing and Pierre Gasly breaking his front suspension after running over them. Although the Red Bull Ring kerbs have frequently caused drama since F1’s return to the track, Force India driver Perez believes that the problem keeps recurring because there is no sporting deterrent for drivers to stay clear of kerbs during the season as a whole so they are lured into abusing limits in Austria too.
“I don’t think the kerbs are great around here,” he said. “There is no consistency between the tracks, so sometimes you get these kerbs and if you run a bit wide it can destroy your car. “At other tracks you can go wide 10 metres and you can keep going. “If we are going to be like this, then we should be acting on track limits all around the tracks so there is not so much of an incentive to damage the car.” Gasly concurred that part of the issue at the Red Bull Ring is that there is lap time to be gained by running up to the kerbs. “I think we broke three noses today as well,” he said. “You just run so much kerb everywhere. There is lap time, and of course as a driver, if you know there is lap time, of course you know you’re going to use it. “But the thing is, the front wing bottoms on these kerbs and you damage the bottom of them. “I had two front wings which were damaged that they’re trying to repair, and it’s the same on Brendon [Hartley]’s car. “At the briefing apparently we were all in the same situation, but Charlie [Whiting] told us to make stronger front wings. “At the moment there is not much we can change for tomorrow.”
Not everyone was so critical of the kerbs though, with Daniel Ricciardo saying that it was up to the drivers to stay away from them. “I damaged a little bit the wing this morning, and took the kerb a little bit,” he explained. “It’s good, it’s our job to stay off them and at least it’s a track limit. “For some of these modern circuits, when they don’t have walls, I think this is not a bad alternative. I think the kerbs are a good thing.” Last year, the FIA modified the positioning of the kerbs slightly after Friday practice when several drivers hit trouble in early running.
