Many drivers have been the victim of the stricter penalties this year. However, according to Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton somehow escaped the penalty of causing a collision during lap 1 of the Miami GP sprint. The Spaniard created a huge issue around the same. Hamilton is known for taking every bit of advantage that he could find – going wide on corners to find the limit, barely keeping 2 wheels on the correct side of the white line. However, this will no longer be the case at the upcoming Imola GP as the track has now made major changes.

Leaving the track and gaining an advantage has become a huge issue in recent times, where sometimes the driver would only know of their elimination from the session when FIA deletes the lap for track limits. And on other occasions, drivers have gotten away with making errors and not being punished for running wide. But, the drivers would no longer be able to do the same. 

Remember the 2021 Brazilian GP where Lewis Hamilton tried to overtake Max Verstappen on the outside of Turn 4 and both of them went outside the track limits, yet joined the track at speed? Something like that wouldn’t happen at Imola. That weekend in Brazil, Carlos Sainz suggested adding gravel traps on the outside of Turn 4 at Interlagos, and that is exactly what Imola has done now. 

While most of the corners in the first sector at Imola had a gravel trap on the outside, the second half of the lap didn’t. Earlier Turn 9 (Piratella), Turn 11,12, and 13 (Acque Minerali) and the chicane of 14 and 15 (Gresini), all had massive run-off areas on the outside of the corner. If one goes onboard with Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 Imola GP pole lap, the 7X champ can be seen going out of track limits at all these corners. 

But now, the circuit will feature no more asphalt runoff on the outside of Piratella with a gravel trap added after the Grisini chicane. However, the run-off area on the outside of Acque Minerali remains, but has been reduced significantly and a larger gravel trap has been added.

Over the years, the fans have been asking for the changes and now, they can finally be happy. The changes ensure that every little mistake from a driver is punished. Let’s see what the fans have to say.

Fans Salute the Imola Track changes for 2024 GP: “Best way to enforce Track Limits”

As soon as the comparison images of the Imola GP track from the last F1 race in 2022 and the latest ones after the changes were uploaded, the fans took to social media to appreciate the changes that have been made and how they will impact the racing around Imola for good. Many people advised it as the best way to stop the track limits and the consistent deletion of lap times. Now if one goes off, the whole lap is ruined because of the gravel. 

Many were reminded of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, who are always flirting with the track limits, and suggested that these changes will keep them in check.

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Some suggested that the Austrian GP track i.e. the Red Bull Ring should learn from Imola and add gravel traps on the outside of that track as well. Track limits are one of the biggest issues at Austrian GP.

F1 has recently been under the gun for new circuits added to the calendar, which is just there for the show around it and doesn’t provide great racing. Fans suggested this was one good change after a long time. 

Many fans appreciated the fact that Imola is going back to the old style of F1 circuits, which were brutal in nature. 

What do you think about these changes made to the Imola circuit? Will it help with the racing as well as track limits? Or is it just going to cause multiple safety cars?