F1: Red Bull, Horner sound alarm ahead of French GP

According to the team principal, the rain of track limit penalties could become a bigger problem at Le Castellet.

The rain of penalties and cancelled laps for track limits characterized the Formula 1 Austrian GP weekend but could be repeated, with an even greater impact, in France because of the track’s special characteristics.

To Autosport, Red Bull team principal Horner was clear: “There were really a lot of drivers violating track limits over the weekend in Austria. I think the problem, for the weekend in France, is about the nature of the circuit. This track, in fact, invites drivers to use track limits extensively. My concern is not excessive, but I think Paul Ricard will be a bigger problem than Spielberg in that you can get ample time gains. And of course, you have meters of asphalt available, so drivers are pretty much encouraged to go wider and beyond the track limits.”

On track limits many drivers spoke out against it, among them world champion Verstappen himself: “I don’t think it’s useful to have this angst. Like we are there to measure how deep we go on certain sections of track. If this problem is so complicated to solve, you add a wall or put some gravel.”