Formula 1 drivers may only do their famous 'track walk' on foot this season. According to Motorsport.com informed the teams that other means of transport are no longer allowed.
In the days before a Grand Prix, it is a familiar sight that drivers take a lap around the track with their engineers. To save time, this was widely done in recent years on bikes, scooters, and other means of transport. However, in Bahrain, the FOM sent a message to all teams to avoid this in future.
'Track walk' now really walking
All modes of transport are banned from now on. There is a time slot in which a 'track walk' can be done, and it should actually be walked. The FOM chose this because, with all the drivers and engineers on the track, it became too busy and confusing with all the different means of transport. Especially on weekends when F2 and F3 drivers also explore the track.
The drivers themselves are not happy about it, as it only makes the programme on Thursday more crowded. That is now the media day for the drivers, who then still have to hit the track in the evening. Again, this proved difficult in Saudi Arabia, as the circuit was closed in the evening. This meant teams had to get to the track earlier, while drivers often still had media commitments. In a weekend when racing on a modified Jeddah Corniche Circuit, it is noteworthy that some drivers did not get to see the track with their own eyes before getting in the car.