FIA adjusts barrier at French GP after drivers raise safety concerns

The French Grand Prix held at Circuit Paul Ricard this weekend saw the FIA make changes to the track layout following safety concerns raised by the drivers. The changes were made to the barriers at Turn 2 of the track after drivers expressed their discontent with the original design.

The original design

In previous years, drivers who overshot Turn 1 could easily return to the track beyond Turn 2 and blend into traffic relatively safely. However, for this year’s GP weekend, the FIA extended the end of the barrier to stop cars that were out of control from spearing across into traffic that was exiting Turn 2. The change was made to prevent cars that might be out of control, potentially due to mechanical failures, from crashing into other cars.

Drivers’ concerns

The new barrier design presented drivers with a difficult choice. Drivers who ran wide had a choice of either bouncing across the grass, going around the new barrier and taking a hard turn to the right onto the track, or in effect doing a U-turn in the run-off, heading back towards the traffic, and then turning right onto the track. Both options were used on Friday, and many drivers expressed their concerns during the evening’s drivers briefing. Lewis Hamilton reportedly pointed out that he had never seen a car have the type of accident that the barrier extension was designed to prevent.

Changes made

The FIA spokesperson told Autosport that the change was made to avoid the possibility of a car going off at T1 and coming across the exit of T2 at speed and potentially t-boning another car. However, following discussions with the drivers, the FIA made further adjustments to the barrier for Sunday’s race. The final 4m of the barrier was removed to make it easier for drivers to rejoin the track safely and further up the track from Turn 2. The FIA spokesperson also stated that they would refine this solution further for future events.

Drivers’ response

The drivers expressed their dissatisfaction with the changes, stating that they should have more say when track changes are considered. George Russell, the GPDA director, said that they should have been consulted about the views on the barrier before decisions were made. Alex Albon also expressed his concerns saying that the corner was well-designed before the changes were made. Yuki Tsunoda stated that he understood why the barrier was originally modified, but there were still concerns regarding the safety of the drivers.

The FIA made changes to the barrier at Turn 2 of Circuit Paul Ricard after safety concerns were raised by the drivers. The changes were made to prevent cars that might be out of control, potentially due to mechanical failures, from crashing into other cars. However, the drivers expressed their discontent with the changes, stating that they should have been consulted before decisions were made. The FIA made further adjustments on Sunday, removing the final 4m of the barrier to make it easier for drivers to rejoin the track safely.