The DTM will not use the gravel strip Formula 1 experimented with at the final two corners of the Red Bull Ring this year to fix the circuit’s long-running track limits problem.
Ever since the Spielberg venue became a mainstay of the motorsport calendar again after being refurbished by energy drinks giant Red Bull, there have been constant complaints about drivers running off the circuit and breaching track limits.
To combat this problem, organisers installed gravel beds in the final two ninety-degree right-handers for F1’s annual visit to Austria in June.
The solution was widely praised by grand prix drivers, especially after the 2023 event was marred by hundreds of qualifying laps being deleted for track limit violations.
However, those gravel beds will be absent from Turns 9 and 10 for this weekend’s DTM race, with the series having to do with the familiar asphalt run-off.
"The gravel beds that were temporarily installed this year were removed after the Formula 1 and will not be present during the DTM weekend either," a spokesperson for the Red Bull Ring told Motorsport.com's sister title Motorsport-Total.com.
ADAC had wanted to use the same solution for track limits as F1, but the gravel beds installed behind the kerbs had to be replaced for MotoGP’s Austrian Grand Prix on 16-18 August.
This is something that was always planned, as two-wheel racing championships prefer asphalt run-offs for the safety of riders.
However, the gravel solution found in Spielberg was specifically designed to be reconstructed at a short notice, and the circuit has had more than a month to complete the work ahead of this weekend’s DTM race on 28-29 September.
In response to the situation, a spokesperson for DTM’s promoter ADAC told Motorsport-Total.com: "We would have liked to do it like in Formula 1, but the Red Bull Ring told us that it could not be implemented due to time and availability reasons.”
While it’s unclear if there were other reasons related to availability that prevented the re-installation of gravel beds, costs could have also been a factor in the decision.
Motorsport.com understands that it takes around €50,000 to replace asphalt with a gravel strip. While this may not be significant for world championships like F1 and MotoGP, it’s a significant expense to incur for a regional series like the DTM.
With the gravel trap no longer possible, the DTM will be relying on a similar solution to what it used last year to police track limits. This will involve three bollards being placed in the run-off area of the last two turns to show drivers how far they can run wide.
There have been heated discussions about track limits at the Red Bull Ring in the past, with the subsequent penalties making it hard to ascertain the starting grid.
The method used by the ADAC last year was successful in qualifying, but some drivers questioned why rivals were penalised only when they were found to have consistently gained an advantage by running off the track in the race.
