Virtual Gravel Trap

[krisfx]

I must be the only person on the planet who doesn't really care about track limits (In most situations). Obviously defending and overtaking, but using the 6miles of runoff on the outside of a corner I don't have an issue with as I think it looks quite cool the drivers taking every inch of available space. Let the guys take the DTM line!

Also, when a car loses wheels/brakes or whatever, these tarmac runoffs are worse as the car keeps accelerating until it hits something.

[machin]

...a strip of teflon would be an alternative to the grass strip...

But I like the power reduction idea though... Not a sudden reduction, but smooth and with a warning light that flashes to tell other drivers to beware....

[Just_a_fan]

Also, when a car loses wheels/brakes or whatever, these tarmac runoffs are worse as the car keeps accelerating until it hits something.

Wow, some bizarre physics happens in run off areas then!

[Technically, they do accelerate but in a negative way I.e. they slow down.]

[TzeiTzei]

I would rather see real gravel traps. But that's just me. Tracks these days are just too much like playgrounds, and it's surprising that out of all the places US seems to have the tracks with most character.

[Andres125sx]

An area of shallow water that cools the tyres would be enough to discourage them anyway. Just 10mm would be sufficient.

If/When someone step on that water, it will be splashed all around, including the track, so that could cause an accident even for some driver respecting track limits. If you put very little water it will evaporate on hot GPs

I prefer the idea of a slippery band just after track limits. With only 1-2 meters it will be enough to make car lose the heading, the line, and a lot of time. Past that band there must be tarmac. It could even be same tarmac with paint, but that may end up with so much rubber that grip is good enough. Grass don´t have that problem, go wide if you want

[BanMeToo]

lol some of these suggestions will result in absurd and terrible Moto GP deaths

[basti313]

I prefer the idea of a slippery band just after track limits. With only 1-2 meters it will be enough to make car lose the heading, the line, and a lot of time. Past that band there must be tarmac. It could even be same tarmac with paint, but that may end up with so much rubber that grip is good enough. Grass don´t have that problem, go wide if you want

Good idea. It should even be possible to just control this by paint. Usually they use a paint, which is grippy for painting anything on the circuit. This 1-2 meters area on corners, where they want less grip, might be easily achievable by a very slippery paint.

lol some of these suggestions will result in absurd and terrible Moto GP deaths

If they use paint, they can either easily remove it or paint it again with more grippy paint.

[SiLo]

Personally I think if you make a mistake or go off track you should be punished. I'd like to see more grass at the edge of tracks, they can have tarmac after that. Or just gravel traps, the cars slow down on tarmac only if traction has not been broken, as soon as it has they just skid right off and smash into the barriers, usually faster than they would if there had been a gravel trap.

As for the cars flipping, pretty sure they have a huge roll bar for that, yes it's dangerous and hassle, but much safer than what we have seen recently with Sainz where you go head on into a barrier and can't get.

[Scootin159]

As for the cars flipping, pretty sure they have a huge roll bar for that, yes it's dangerous and hassle, but much safer than what we have seen recently with Sainz where you go head on into a barrier and can't get.

FWIW, Roll hoops aren't that effective in gravel. Too small a surface area, and they'll just sink in until they get to something with a larger surface area (the drivers head). Sure they may work most of the time, but it would be very possible for there to be a major injury with a driver rolling in the gravel.

The trouble with using slippery surfaces on the apex is that it wouldn't really discourage the drivers. Ironically, the more you shortcut the apex, the less grip you actually need to maintain the same speed - so it wouldn't work in spots where drivers shortcut the track on the inside of a corner (chicanes, Radillion, etc). The same logic doesn't hold true at corner entry and exit however, and the "astroturf" strips there would be effective (provided they were adequately low grip).

That said, it should be possible to implement some sort of electronic triggering system to catch violators, and then stipulate that they take a drive-through penalty for any violations. If nothing else, it seems running an antenna wire 1/2 a car width off the track limits (plus some extra allowance for accuracy), and then linking that to the car's transponder (which could be stipulated by rule to be on the centerline of the car) would work quite easily. As mentioned before, the wire wouldn't even have to circumnavigate the entire track - just the trouble spots would be enough.

[Just_a_fan]

The inside of a corner is easily dealt with using the black and yellow bars that we see on some run off areas and apices already:



I'd favour spike strips like those used by police officers to stop fugitives. They give a controlled puncture although whether that would work so well on an F1 tyre is an interesting point.

[krisfx]

Also, when a car loses wheels/brakes or whatever, these tarmac runoffs are worse as the car keeps accelerating until it hits something.

Wow, some bizarre physics happens in run off areas then!

[Technically, they do accelerate but in a negative way I.e. they slow down.]

The video below shows how tarmac has seemingly no retardation (Yes I'm aware of physics) on a car that has lost wheels or control, though it's obviously cut before the final impact. But it can be seen in many F1 accidents. When the runoff is wet, I bet it's even worse. Effectively, the driver careers into the barrier at the end with quite a high impact force in some cases.

I posted this at work while I was navigating coffee, so maybe "accelerates" was a poor choice looking back. Needless to say, the sarcasm wasn't welcomed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T50vh64PjNg

[Just_a_fan]

Sorry, was probably having one of those days

Have an up vote on me... =D>

[SiLo]

Gravel traps are simply better for slowing the car down if you are out of control. If not, then tarmac works better. Which one would you rather have if you were a driver?

[Just_a_fan]

I'd bet that drivers would rather have tarmac - they don't worry about the big shunts because, if they did, they wouldn't be able to race at 100%. It's the old "it'll never happen to me" mentality. Anyone who wants the gravel to be there "just in case" isn't going to win anything. The tyres/barriers etc. are there for the "just in case" moments as far as the drivers are concerned.

[Moose]

Gravel traps are simply better for slowing the car down if you are out of control. If not, then tarmac works better. Which one would you rather have if you were a driver?

No, they are not. That's why they're gone.

The only time tarmac doesn't work well is if the wheels are already not on the car.