The circuit of Zandvoort continues to amaze fans of Formula 1. Last year the Dutch track made headlines for the renewed layout, characterized above all by the corners with an accentuated banking that represented a significant novelty for the Circus panorama. This time, however, the peculiarity concerns an escape route of the Dutch track, which has been modified compared to last season with an addition that had never been seen before in the top category of motorsport: the fake gravel. In fact, last year in the ‘S’ of turn 11-12, named after Hans Ernst, the drivers had pinched the escape route several times, ending up pushing part of the gravel present in the area directly onto the track. This problem had also caused red flags in several GP support races.
So here is the original idea studied by the organizers to limit the risk of dirtying the track without however eliminating the difficulty for the drivers in tackling one of the most complex sections of the entire track: beyond the white line that delimits the track it was made aspecial area of one meter wide in which the gravel was covered with a resinous material. This makes it look like ‘classic’ gravel, but in reality is completely solid. Contrary to what happens – for example – with the abrasive asphalt strips of the Paul Ricard, this stretch of escape route will also offer the cars minimal grip. This was designed to discourage drivers from seeking the limit at that point, thus reducing the possibility of having cars that end up in the ‘real’ gravel section anyway.
The former Dutch driver Jan Lammerstoday sporting director of the GP d’Olanada, spoke about this solution on the sidelines of an event organized by the main sponsor of the race, Heineken, underlining the innovative nature of this solution and hypothesizing its own application also in other circuits: “To prevent the gravel from ending up on the track, they made the first meter look like gravel, but in reality it is a bit like asphalt – explained Lammers – however, it cannot really be exploited: it is too slippery and bumpy for cars. But at least you avoid having too much debris in the middle of the track. It represents a good development also for other circuits “he concluded.
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