Experiment of the FIA fails: Race director will enforce track limits after all

Last season it was a point of discussion at many Grands Prix: the track limits. In that respect, Formula 1 will continue where it left off in 2021 because in Bahrain the enforcement of these limits is subject to change again.

At the start of the race weekend, the FIA 's race committee, led by Michael Masi, decided to be a little less strict. The track limits would not be actively enforced anywhere. In turn 4 during the first free practice, this already led to situations where drivers ended up far off the track, something that also happened during the winter test.

The rule does not apply during the race

Masi and his colleagues, therefore, decided to maintain the track limits at this point. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton had their first flying lap in FP2 taken away.

This rule only applies to the practice sessions and qualifying. During the race, a driver is not immediately penalised if you go off track. However, should this happen structurally, drivers can expect a penalty.