Austrian GP sees huge changes made after Lewis Hamilton and others given penalty

The Austrian Grand Prix track has undergone a swathe of changes to avoid a repeat of farcical scenes from last year's edition of the race.

Formula 1 faced an "unprecedented" scenario at the end of last year's event at the Red Bull Ring. Track limits had already been a theme of the weekend with hundreds of violations which saw lap times deleted as drivers tried to squeeze every millisecond they could out of the track.

But there was more to come after the conclusion of the Grand Prix. Aston Martin lodged a protest, which was successful, claiming that there were many more track limits violations than had originally been identified and so, several hours after the race, a dozen more penalties were handed out.

None of them affected the top three so the winner of the race and those on the podium were safe. But eight other drivers had time added to their results, including Lewis Hamilton who dropped a place in the final standings because of a 10-second penalty.

The FIA is keen to avoid a repeat scenario this year and so changes have been made to the track in a bit to reduce the number of track limits violations. And the most obvious way to do that is by limiting the generous run-off areas that previously existed at parts of the circuit.

Because there was little risk, drivers could push harder on certain corners, including turns nine and 10. Now, though, gravel traps have been installed at such corners, which will make drivers more cautious about how wide they go through those turns.

"That's what [the drivers] want and what they have asked for," said race director Niels Wittich. "They will get feedback, they will feel it when they get close to the gravel, and if they do dip a wheel onto the gravel it will penalise them because the car will be slower.

Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton walks in the Austrian Grand Prix paddock

"It's a natural deterrent and that has been the number one request from the drivers. It takes away any temptation to explore the limits because there is no gain anymore. If it's just a line or just asphalt, drivers and teams will always go to the last millimetre because you can. But when you run over the gravel, it's impossible to be faster."

The new gravel traps are just 2.5 metres wide but it would be enough to slow an F1 car significantly, while running over the rough surface also risks damaging the floor of the car, which drivers definitely do not want to do as that is the part of the car where so much of its downforce is generated.

In addition, the white lines at several corners have been moved further out, making the track slightly wider but also pushing the limits closer to the gravel traps at turns one, three, four and six.