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The Zandvoort Circuit will not be renovated to install run-off areas in place of the current gravel traps for 2020, confirms Jarno Zaffelli, owner of circuit architects Dromo.
Dromo has been tasked with getting Zandvoort into shape for its first Formula 1 Grand Prix in 35 years next year.
Zandvoort is well-known for being a high-speed, tight circuit with grass and gravel traps only a whisper away from the asphalt, making the challenge for the drivers extremely high.
There were fears from fans and the drivers that the track would be changed to accommodate run off areas, the likes of which we have seen in races in recent years, which leaves a driver relatively unpunished if they leave the circuit.
“We are keeping the gravel,” Zaffelli told RaceFans. “This was one of the requests from all the parties.
“FOM requested it because of the heritage of the track. The track [owners] asked for it. And as you know we are more than happy to have gravel instead of asphalt if we think that it is not necessary.”
Zaffelli added that the gravel traps at Zandvoort are "unique", insisting that their steep nature will make it "very difficult to arrive to barriers in many places".
Formula 2 and Formula 3 are also set to race at the Dutch circuit, as the country celebrates its return to the calendar after a long absence.
“The works we start in November,” Zaffelli said of the work needed to be carried out. “We’re planning to finish the work by March.
“So there is plenty of time to do what we need to do on-track and all the rest. We are not concerned about the delivery, only about the weather.”
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
You seriously not excited about this? I expected you'd love this. Retaining heritage, making it more expensive for drivers to make stupid moves, punish stupidity