Quote:
Originally Posted by Taxi645
This all could be avoided and self-solved by putting a 1-1.5m wide lower grip surface between the kerb and the outside tarmac. No one would go wide then because it is self-punishing. No need to discuss, check, change or punish before, during and after. In my view it would be a breath of fresh air.
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Gravel and tarmac run-off areas are a necessary evil. Kerbs aren't, at least not the sort of kerbs that have gradually grown up on race tracks everywhere. A kerb need only be a small strip of concrete to stop the edge of the tarmac crumbling. So now the only problem is how to stop drivers deliberately going off track.
Inside and outside of corners are different problems.
Inside: Remember those tyre bundles that caused so much havoc at Monza about 20 years ago. There wasn't much wrong with them except they needed to be tethered so they couldn't roll onto the track. Of course old tyres would be far too low-tech for F1 these days, so they would need to be made of carbon fibre for lightness, and then part filled with spent uranium to increase their weight. Just something perched on the apex that is hard enough and heavy enough to risk damage if you hit it.
Outside: Taxi's low friction strip is one worthy idea. Another would be a drop-down step so going off the road would be harmless, but getting back on would require a time-consuming route around some obstacles. Or maybe just a proper high kerb. Or a long string of tyre bundles (see hi-tech alternative above) fastened together but not fastened to the ground. They would safely decelerate a car hitting them, but would make getting back to the road a bit time-consuming and therefore not something to risk deliberately.
The mighty brains of F1 could surely come up with something if the incentive and motivation was there.