F1’s Austria track limits solution deployed at Silverstone too

The Silverstone track has been updated with elements of the solution deployed at the Red Bull Ring to try and solve Formula 1’s track limits problem.

A week ago, the FIA’s new arrangement of adding gravel and reducing kerb size to stop drivers automatically running out wide without consequence beyond a lap time deletion was revealed at the Austrian Grand Prix venue.

Now F1 has decamped to Silverstone, the drivers will be facing effectively the same system at two critical points of focus for track limits in recent years – Stowe and Copse – but with some differences.

At Copse – the fast right-hander that for many years was the first corner of the Silverstone layout – the change has been made without adding gravel.

The FIA has instead required the track limits white line to be painted onto the corner’s exit kerb, as it did in combination with mini-gravel traps being added to the Red Bull Ring’s final two corners, to reduce the width between the far edge of the kerb and the inside edge of the white line to 1.5m.

As was the case for Austria, this size has been taken because F1 cars are 2m wide, and by making the gap smaller it is easier for the drivers to see when they are getting close to infringing track limits – a change the F1 pack as long been requesting.

The white line painted on the kerbs also features the same blue line addition as was used in Austria to assist the drivers even further.

Motorsport.com understands that while there is no gravel deployed at this point other than far back in the run-off area, the FIA feels the grip level difference between the run-off and the track is enough to act as a deterrent.

At Stowe, the changes are different and are understood to have been made with approval from MotoGP riders, who will race at Silverstone next month.

The gravel trap on the outside of Stowe has been moved towards the track by 6-8m in places, with the white line also now moved left on the exit kerb as has been done at Copse.

There is still a significant run-off area wide of the kerbs and between the extended gravel trap.

Motorsport.com understands that the plan to use the same system at Silverstone as in Austria was developed for both tracks at the same time by the FIA.

During a review into the track limits issue last year, the governing body viewed these two circuits as the two that posed the biggest problem and so intended to act for the 2024 F1 events here.

Motorsport.com also understands…