Verstappen: Circuits Must Address Track Limits Issues

Verstappen stresses that while drivers need further discussions on track limits, circuits also play a crucial role in solving the issue.

Max Verstappen confirmed that one driver on the grid was not in favor of revisiting the on-track battle rules, as George Russell had explained. While Verstappen is not opposed to changes, he believes they won’t be a miracle fix and that other issues remain.

“I think that’s the right way to summarize things. We still need to discuss a few things, but I think it’s mostly related to the circuits. In some places, there is a lot of runoff, and that already creates a lot of problems, so it’s something we need to work on for the future,” Verstappen admitted.

Russell had stated that 19 out of 20 drivers were in agreement, but Verstappen clarified that he was not the one in disagreement: “That wasn’t the case. It was just one particular driver who was either in favor or not with some things.”

According to the four-time world champion, the problem also depends on the type of corner, as he explained that hairpins, for example, encourage more of these possibilities: “It depends on the track, the shape of the corner.”

“I think overtaking around the outside in a low-speed corner is much more complicated than in a medium or high-speed corner because that’s where you usually have momentum, and it’s a bit different. Also, when there’s no gravel, you can run off the track without consequences.”

“But at some tracks we go to, you either see a clear overtake on the outside, or people back off because they’re afraid of going into the gravel from the car inside or outside. And I think that already solves 90% of the problems we face today.”

Verstappen reiterated that the main issue with on-track battles remains modern circuits and the runoff areas that allow drivers to leave the track without penalty.

“I think everyone agrees with that, but sometimes it’s not easy to throw out all the rules. As I said, I think the biggest issue we have is simply, in some places, tracks with too much runoff.”

“If you want fewer problems, you need to add gravel traps. But, of course, some tracks are a bit more difficult than others, but how much do you want F1 to race on your track? It’s as simple as that.”

Qatar hasn’t put gravel traps everywhere but has added gravel strips behind the curbs. The Red Bull driver sees this as a good solution: “I think this will already help, yes. I mean, here there are a lot of high-speed corners, so I think there are fewer problems.”

“With the type of racing we had at certain places. But I think normally, yes, the gravel, of course, once you touch it, you lose a lot of time on the lap, so you don’t want to touch it. You want to avoid it.”