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All 20 Formula 1 drivers racked up 125 track limits offences between them during Friday practice ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix.
For the championship’s first official visit to the Algarve circuit, F1 has opted to use the layout that has a much faster right-hand Turn 1, rather than a tight chicane.
There is significant run-off on the exit of the corner before a gravel trap, and the same at Turn 4 and the final corner, Turn 15. Other parts of the track have less run-off between the circuit edge and the gravel deterrent.
As a result, the FIA has instructed drivers that they will have lap times deleted in practice and qualifying if no part of their car remains in contact with the track – which means drivers must keep part of one wheel inside the white line that defines the track edge.
All 20 drivers had lap times deleted at some point on Friday with 17 offending at Turn 4 in second practice.
It is a similar, though much more pronounced, situation to Monza, where the FIA’s reinforced Parabolica track limits monitoring led to many offences in Friday practice.
Hot lappin' and gravel splashin' 🔥#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/O3tkm4FxKO
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2020
This settled down in qualifying although there were still a number of lap times deleted then as well.
Though the track limits at Turns 1 and 4 frustrated several drivers, the ultra-smooth, green track following Algarve’s recent resurfacing, was the major cause of aggravation in both sessions, resulting in spins, lock-ups and general dissatisfaction.
“It’s very difficult to get the tyres in the window for the first lap here, even with the soft,” said Mercedes’ world championship leader Lewis Hamilton.
“So, naturally they are hard tyres, this is the hardest range of tyres, at this circuit, it’s to be expected I should say.
“Q1 particularly, there will be a lot of cars out there and it will definitely be a dogfight to get position, to get a clear lap – but that’s what we do, we’re all in the same boat.”
“I like when tracks are unique and I think it is, it was pretty cool” :: Pierre Gasly
Mercedes was not running its dual-axis steering system in Friday practice as a preparation for next year when the innovative device will be outlawed.
That means its tyre preparation for the first flying lap should improve on Saturday.
Teams also hope that the track will rubber in quickly, although this did not seem to be the case through Friday.
“It’s not fun out there actually,” said Red Bull’s Alex Albon.
“The track’s fun but the grip isn’t. The wind also picked up so it was like an ice rink out there.”
Asked if the track improved through the day, Albon replied: “Weirdly, no.
“I actually felt better in FP1 than in FP2. I think with the track dropping down in temperature and the wind picking up – I was expecting it to grip up but it never did.”
This was corroborated by Hamilton, who said track evolution was “not massive” and likewise pointed to wind as the culprit.
But the Portuguese circuit’s undulating layout still proved a hit ahead of its first grand prix weekend.
“It was really cool,” said AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
“The first few laps that I went out, I got this feeling you get in the stomach when you’re on a rollercoaster.
“After Turn 8, going up the hill and downhill, I really had the same feeling and I was like ‘wow’. I’ve never felt that in a Formula 1 car.
“I must say, it’s quite challenging, a lot of blind corners, high speed, low speed, combined braking.
“It’s quite unusual in a way. I like when tracks are unique and I think it is, it was pretty cool.”
