Rosberg Speaks About 'Embarrassing' Part Of Formula 1

Monday, 09 October 2023 at 10:28

Updated at Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 22:52

Former driver and Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg shared his opinion on the track limits issue prevailing throughout the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix Weekend.

Track limits have been a great controversial topic of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. The event takes place at Lusail International Circuit, a fast-flowing track consisting almost only of sweeping corners, which drivers take in very high speeds.

Ever since the first qualifying on Friday, track limits have been a problem for almost every driver, with times being deleted across the board. Speaking for the Sky Sports F1 after the sprint shootout session, Nico Rosberg said:

"It’s very embarrassing for our sport. None of us like this. We need to find a permanent solution, it’s time, it’s really time. We’re speaking to the FIA before and they’re also saying that we need to bring in some more deterrents off-track and not have asphalt there anymore and some bigger kerb perhaps. I hope that’s going to come soon."

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The combination of very tough climatic conditions with the nature of the track makes it very hard for drivers to judge every single corner. Rosberg explained if you have drivers trying to extract every single millisecond out of the lap, they are pushing over the edge, and that will result in track limit infringements.

"I mean, it’s so difficult for the drivers to manage that situation out there as we see. That’s why so many are making those mistakes because you always feel like 'I want to push more,' and it’s so difficult to see the line, so it goes wrong very often."

Multiple drivers and Formula One experts have come out saying there should be an easy fix to this problem, like, for example, a gravel trap right behind the kerb. Rosberg suggests:

"You need to remove the asphalt and put a couple of meters of some sort of deterrent, whether it’s gravel or some extreme astroturf or something like that. That has to be the way to go."