2021 Turkish Grand Prix venue will be treated to give drivers more grip and prevent 2020 drama with drivers spinning allover.
The circuit had not been in use since 2011 and was re-carpeted in 2020 just a few weeks to the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. This made the drivers struggle for grip especially with the hard tyres as they could not retain temperature.
Pirelli said they would have prepared tyres with softer compounds had they known the circuit had been re-carpeted just prior to the grand prix. However, the situation became much worse as rain hit the circuit in qualifying and the race itself making it extremely difficult for the drivers to find grip.
Michael Masi, the FIA race director updated all the teams that the track had been treated to add more grip. This means that all the data that the teams had collected at the circuit back in 2020 will be irrelevant.
“We do regularly each season send updates to the teams about any circuit changes for upcoming events,” said Masi. “Be they be barriers, fences, gates, whatever. It may be areas of resurfacing.
“So yes, the surface in Turkey has been effectively water-blasted, would probably be the best way to put it, which is a regular treatment that happens.
“We have seen that regularly used in Singapore as an example, where the public roads that are used they resurface those quite regularly because of the movement. That is what has happened there, along with a few other changes.”
F1 managing director, Ross Brawn commented that lack of grip was a good challenge for the drivers after the 2020 race.
“I appreciate drivers were not happy with overall grip levels,” he said. “But it was a consequence of the late decision to race there as the calendar was revised to respond to COVID-19.
“I think drivers sometimes need to remember it’s a competition of who crosses the line first, so while grip levels weren’t high, it was the same for everyone.
“Some drivers got their head down and came to terms with it, others found it a distraction.
“Having a challenging surface as we had this weekend was no bad thing. It showed a driver’s talent to the max. I don’t think grip levels are a measure of the level of competition you will have.”
