FIA to test new curb to deter cheaters
Race stewards have struggled to enforce track limits in recent years as asphalt run-off areas provide no real punishment when drivers do run wide. As a result, motorsport's governing body has been investigating new ways of preventing drivers from using more of the track than they should.
The FIA has been analyzing a new exit curb which is twice the width of a normal curb comprising of two sections, with the outside edge of the initial curb sitting 25mm below track level and the outside edge of the second curb therefore at 50mm below track level.
The design received positive feedback following its installation on the exit of two corners at Motorland Aragon in Spain, and the FIA will now test the curb on the exit of Turn 9 at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona.
FIA race director Charlie Whiting says the new design carries more of a punishment for drivers the further off the track they go.
"The idea is this curb would work with bikes and cars because we want to try and make circuits compatible for both disciplines," Whiting said. "This has been installed at Motorland Aragon and was used for the MotoGP there and the riders claimed they were happy with it.
"We believe that if a car comes too far over it will become increasingly uncomfortable for the driver and if he was to put two wheels over the edge he'd then have to cross back. So it should act as a deterrent. That's the plan, anyway."
The FIA is also set to work on refining GPS solutions which will help alert race control when a driver exceeds track limits, with the current level of accuracy still needing to be improved. F1i.com