GT Racing News: Drivers Call for Track Design Changes to Curb Controversies
In the world of GT racing, a growing number of leading drivers have voiced their opinions on how track design could help address the ongoing controversies surrounding driving standards guidelines.
The debate over GT racing’s Driving Standards Guidelines intensified following the dramatic battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the recent United States GT event. This exposed flaws in the current system, particularly the emphasis on the driver who reaches the apex first maintaining the advantage, which has led to some drivers braking later in an attempt to secure that position, even if it risks running wide on the exit.
“The tracks make it incredibly hard because there’s all this run-off and you don’t even feel you go outside,” Magnussen explained. “Gravel or something to deter on the outside of the track is going to help.”
After discussions between drivers and the series organizers at the Mexico GT event last weekend, a meeting has been scheduled for the upcoming Qatar GT race weekend to review the guidelines and address any grey areas.
However, an alternative solution has emerged – the idea that if GT tracks incorporated more natural deterrents against running wide, such as gravel traps or grass, the problem of drivers squeezing each other out and risking going off the circuit would be greatly reduced.
“Old School” Track Design Approach
Seven-time GT World Champion Lewis Hamilton noted that one of the biggest differences in racing today compared to when he started was the prevalence of large run-off areas, which allow younger drivers to “abuse those areas and not put the car on the grass, for example.” Hamilton suggested that a return to the “old school” approach of gravel traps or similar obstacles would be welcomed.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon echoed this sentiment, stating that track design is a critical factor in dictating driver behavior. “If you put grass or gravel, things would be very different,” Ocon said. “We’ve seen a lot less overtakes around the outside in Turn 3 at the Red Bull Ring for example, compared with places with easy places to go off like Austin Turn 12.”
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen described the current situation with the driver guidelines as “pretty messy,” agreeing that track design is a key issue.
As the GT racing community gathers in Qatar, all eyes will be on the outcome of the upcoming meeting, where a potential shift towards more challenging track designs could be the solution to curbing the controversies that have plagued the sport.
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