F1 track limits explained: What are they and why are they important (2024)

FAQs

F1 track limits explained: What are they and why are they important? ›

Track limits are the white lines that run around the edge of the circuit and set a boundary that the drivers are not allowed to cross. Drivers are not allowed to exceed these limits and can face a penalty if all four wheels are over the defined boundary.

If track limits were not in place, drivers could theoretically make use of all of the asphalt run-off areas that are common to modern F1 tracks in order to find a faster route around the facility. In theory, they should be relatively easy to police, but, as is often the case in F1, it is never quite as simple as that.

F1's sporting regulations state that drivers must keep at least one part of their car on the track — so it's acceptable to have all four wheels mostly outside of the white line, as long as a sliver of the tyre remains on the white line.

You are deemed to be exceeding track limits when the centre point of the car passes over that line. If you exceed track limits, you will be given a '1x Off-Track Penalty', or a 'Slowdown Penalty'. Both of these will result in the lap time being deleted.

History. The primary reasons behind rule changes have traditionally been to do with safety and (mostly since 2000) to limit the cost of the sport.

Simply put, 'exceeding track limits' is when all four tires cross the white line surrounding the racing surface. According to article 33.3 of the Sporting Regulations, “Drivers must make every reasonable effort to use the track at all times and may not leave the track without a justifiable reason.

Max Verstappen was on pole position for a few brief moments on Friday evening before his lap time was deleted for a track limits violation at the Circuit of The Americas.

On most corners of a track, exceeding limits will result in a deletion of that lap, however if a driver commits the violation on the final corner onto the pit straight, the next lap time will also be deleted.

Track limits are a good example of this, and if a driver violates them more than three times over a race distance, they're shown a black and white flag. However, if they go over the track limits again, they're given a penalty for not taking it seriously.

Most circuits have two DRS zones, but there are exceptions. For example, the Monaco circuit contains only one DRS zone and the Bahrain circuit has three places where DRS can be activated.

Why do lap times get deleted in F1? ›

If a driver is found to have exceeded track limits, their time for that lap is deleted. In addition, if a driver is found to have exceeded track limits in the final corner of one lap, their time for the next lap may be deleted if race stewards determine that the driver gained an advantage for the subsequent lap.

Time penalties of 5 or 10 seconds are added to a driver's overall race time for minor infringements like forcing another driver off the track. They are applied post-race by the stewards. The time penalties are designed to minimally impact a driver's result while still imposing a punishment.

The use of the black and white flag is not as severe as other penalties such as a drive-through or stop-and-go penalty, but it is a clear indication to the driver that their behavior is being closely monitored. It is meant to encourage fair and respectful racing among competitors.

Therefore, in case of such F1 has a three-hour window to get two hours of track time completed from the moment the grand prix has officially begun.

F1 will scrap its DRS overtaking system in 2026 and replace it with a push-to-pass style boost known as manual override.

Drivers were initially allowed to choose any number from 0 through 99, with the exclusion of 1 which is reserved for the World Drivers' Champion. The number 17 was retired in 2015 as a mark of respect to Jules Bianchi, who suffered a fatal crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix while carrying the number.

These restrictions were in place to reduce development costs on the engines. The reduction in capacity was designed to give a power reduction of around 20% from the three-litre engines, to reduce the increasing speeds of Formula One cars. Despite this, in many cases the performance of the car improved.

F1 might be all about speed, but that's not the case in the pit lane, where drivers must strictly observe speed limits. An 80 km/h pit lane speed limit is in effect at most events in every session, with some circuits having an even slower limit.

Track limit violations can have varied penalties depending on which sessions the drivers are taking part in. During a practice session any violations will typically result in the car's lap times being deleted, but the driver won't be penalised with anything stricter, even if they exceed track limits multiple times.

You have three chances to go off the track during the race. You get a black and white flag after three lives if you break the rules of the race four times. After this, the officials will give the car five seconds of extra time.