You need to treat each kerb with respect as some can send you into the barrier if you get too greedy while others can be used to your advantage, according to former British racing driver and YouTube personality Scott Mansell. There are so many types of kerb, but he points out that he has never really stopped to think why they are so different or even why they are there in the first place.
According to Scott Mansell, there are five types of kerbs:
Painted – these are straightforward. They are lines that are just painted onto the track with nonslip paint.
Standard – These are the most common. They are slightly raised, made of serrated metal and bolted to the ground.
Carpets – Not technically a “kerb” but part of the kerb structure and used more frequently in F1, so worth the mention. They are made of artificial grass, usually outside of the standard kerb. And are there to punish you if you go too wide, as they are VERY slippery, especially in the wet.
The problem with these are they have started to be paved and painted green to look like grass but aren’t anywhere near as slippery.
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And as former Scuderia Ferrari driver Mario Andretti once said – “if you pave it, I will drive over it.” Or as NASCAR drivers say – “if it’s grey – it’s okay”.
In this video, Scott Mansell explains why Formula 1 kerbs exist
— see video above —
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