World News – CA – F1: FIA softens Portimao track limits after practice farce

The FIA ​​entered the weekend by adopting a strict protocol at turns 1 and 4 of the Algarve circuit, where he felt that any driver whose entire car had crossed the white line at the edge of the track would have broken the rules

This policy sparked a wave of problems for the drivers during Friday practice sessions, as they struggled to position their cars perfectly in the two tricky corners

The situation was further exacerbated by pilots suffering from a lack of grip on the new slippery track surface

FIA documents released on Friday revealed a total of 125 lap times were suppressed for drivers breaking the rules at Turn 1 and Turn 4 during both practice sessions

Following discussions in the Friday night drivers … briefing, Masi released revised event notes on Saturday morning in which he made it clear that he had relaxed FIA policy

From now on, the FIA ​​will only consider a rule violation to have occurred when a driver’s car leaves the track and passes behind the red and white curbs at turns 1 and 4

For turn 15, Masi said: â ???? A driver will be deemed to have left the track if no part of the car remains in contact with the trackâ ????

F1 drivers have generally welcomed the challenge of the Algarve circuit, which is making its first appearance on the Grand Prix calendar

However, the new track surface created some challenges with everyone struggling for grip in Friday’s race

Max Verstappen told Dutch TV channel Ziggo Sport: « When I was here in January I thought it was a really good circuit, but they laid asphalt here and now there is very little grip

– We’re just sliding around and having these weird moments where cars slip away If you get into a corner a little faster then suddenly there’s no more grip So I have to say for the moment that I don’t like that much ????

McLaren driver Lando Norris joked about how sports car drivers were pushing the limits of the track during qualifying for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa, months after teammate Carlos Sainz stated that the drivers now feel less « fear » on the Belgian circuit due to the increased presence of asphalt tracks – outside the zones

Spa recently revealed plans for a € 80million renovation project that would see the return of gravel traps to several key corners

Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Formula 1, Portimão