Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok explains a possible solution that could be used in Austria after the track limits fallout

Former F1 driver turned presenter Karun Chandhok recently spoke about the track limit issues several drivers faced during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP.

Turn 9 and Turn 10 of the Red Bull Ring circuit proved tricky for many drivers, who accidentally threw their cars over the curb and invited multiple track limits pentalites that changed the course of the race.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Chandok stated that a sausage curb on the last two turns of the Red Bull Ring could discourage drivers from going too wide. He pointed to sausage curbs installed near turn one, where no drivers were penalized for track limits.

"I think the solution, in my opinion, is that what they have on the outside of turn one is quite a good answer in Austria. They've got that little yellow sausage curb, which is a bolt-down curb, and we never saw our track limit transgressions at turn one. Because if you end up on the top of that yellow curb, the floor [of the car] will get beached and you lose time all the way up the hill, or you end up on the other side and you lose time anyway," Chandhok said.

The Indian discussed the efficacy of the sausage curbs in preventing drivers from going off and stated that the curbs are usually bolted down, allowing them to be removed whenever there was a MotoGP race scheduled.

"I think running some sort of curb parallel to the circuit, not perpendicular, like we had in Monza, which fired that F3 car up into the fence, needs to run along the side of the track in parallel like it does at turn one. If we can't have the natural deterrent that I've talked about, then I think this could be a solution because they're just bolted down, and then you take them off for the Moto GP," he added.

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Fernando Alonso on why Aston Martin was slow at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP

Fernando Alonso, who finished fifth in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, speculated on what could have gone sideways for him and Aston Martin at the Red Bull Ring.

The Spaniard stated that it could have been a mix of several aspects, like the track not suiting the car, and other teams bringing upgrades.

"It was more or less the maximum we could achieve today. It was very close with Lando [Norris] and the Mercedes’ and I think [we could have had] maybe more clear communication for the pit stops but I don’t think it changed the outcome of the race – today was the maximum. I don’t know. I think it’s a little bit of everything. Maybe the circuit didn’t suit our car," he said.

Fernando Alonso is still third in the drivers' championship table with 131 points, but is chased by Lewis Hamilton and a rejuvenated W14, with 106 points.