The Monza GP has reignited the debate over gravel run-off areas after Alonso’s retirement, caused by a stone that damaged his suspension. The FIA is studying solutions to reduce the risks, including preventing stones from hitting drivers’ fingers: gravel remains useful against track limits, but it is being considered to make it thinner and lighter.
The weekend of the Monza GP brought back into the spotlight a topic that the FIA had already been reconsidering for some time: gravel run-off areas. The issue became topical again after several incidents that affected the Italian race, including Fernando Alonso’s retirement, which forced him to abandon a potential top 10 finish due to a front suspension failure.
At first, watching the footage, a structural failure due to vibrations generated by the curb at the exit of Variante Ascari was suspected. A more in-depth analysis, however, revealed a very different cause: stones. In the early laps, Alonso’s car had been hit by debris kicked up by another car, which gradually weakened the suspension until it broke.
As the laps went on, the damage caused by that impact progressively worsened due to the stresses the suspension endured, until it failed, no longer having the structural strength to absorb curbs and surface irregularities. Essentially, it was a case of “fatigue,” but caused by an external factor that weakened the suspension and reduced its structural properties.
Initially, Aston Martin was very surprised by the failure because, despite monitoring load levels, nothing unusual was detected in the data. Only through factory analysis was it possible to trace the cause, examining the damaged components and reviewing slow-motion footage, frame by frame.
“During the week we got a lot more information, especially thanks to the onboard camera footage. You can clearly see a large stone being lifted by Lando [Norris]’s car, which had slightly gone off track while battling Max [Verstappen],” explained Andy Stevenson, sporting director of Aston Martin.
“It hits directly the right front pushrod of Fernando’s car. It was impossible to notice in the race. We had to slow down the footage frame by frame; it’s not something you can do during a race because we would have had to analyze over 30 laps of images.”
Although it was an unfortunate and rather unusual incident, the case fits into a broader issue that the FIA is monitoring closely. In some circumstances, gravel “kicked up” by cars exiting the run-off areas has even hit the hands of following drivers.
As Stevenson explained, teams and the Federation are evaluating solutions to make gravel run-off areas safer. Stones lifted by cars or left on track after an excursion can represent a serious danger to both drivers and cars. Unsurprisingly, many try to avoid them as much as possible, also to prevent damage to the car floor.
“We have been discussing this with the FIA for some time. We have heard drivers complain about gravel and stones hitting their fingers during races, and I know that the FIA is working hard with the various circuits to find a solution,” explained the sporting director of the British team.
Gravel run-off areas are not particularly appreciated by teams, especially due to the risk of car damage, which inevitably translates into costs counted under the budget cap. It is true that every team allocates part of the budget at the start of the season for repairs, but it is equally clear that the fewer the damages, the more resources remain available for other areas of development.
However, with the track limit issue becoming increasingly difficult to manage at various events, it was decided to reintroduce gravel in run-off areas, to encourage drivers to give themselves a wider margin without chasing the last millimeter and sparking controversy. A choice that has yielded concrete results: in Austria, for example, exceeding the white line was significantly reduced.
There is, however, a further problem: gravel can end up on track and be projected towards other cars. On several occasions this season, drivers have complained about stones hitting their hands inside the cockpit. For this reason, a solution is being sought: the presence of gravel is not in question, as it will continue to be used to manage track limits, but the way to make it safer is being considered.
“Together with other teams and the FIA, we are trying to solve this problem. We know that gravel is needed to avoid track limit issues, which we have been dealing with for a long time. If we can find a better solution, we will, but for now, gravel is here to stay.”
The underlying problem is that it is difficult to identify a “standard” gravel suitable for all circuits, for various reasons. Many tracks in the championship host different categories with specific needs, which makes it complex to standardize solutions. The option under consideration is to extend to other tracks the type of gravel already used at the exit of the final corner at Silverstone, thinner and lighter.
Another option is to make the gravel “compact” as in some sections at Zandvoort, precisely to prevent it from returning to the track: “Interestingly, in Formula 1, where we analyze everything in minute detail, depending on the track there are gravels and stones of different sizes. It is very difficult to standardize them, because circuits host many different categories and cannot adapt solely to F1.”
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