Spa intends to keep Eau Rouge, Raidillon rumble strips 'for all events'
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has added rumble strips to the runoff area exiting the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex and plans to use them “for all events,” which includes the Formula One Grand Prix.
Eau Rouge/Raidillon is a sequence of turns following a multi-story drop from the top of the hill at La Source, where the cars are then pitched into a left, right, left dip at the bottom of the hill before rising back up onto the Kemmel straight.
In high-downforce cars, this can be done flat out … sometimes.
For this reason, Eau Rouge has always been dangerous. However, the addition of run-off areas to the circuit’s edges has led to cars abusing the track limits when they get it wrong … which has caused problems of its own.
This is the circuit’s solution:
So they wanted to stop drivers from cutting the top of eau rouge, but sleeping policeman?! Surly that dangerous? pic.twitter.com/ILaCOVkRYw
— F1 Talk (@F1___Talk) March 15, 2015
It doesn’t look pretty, and the general reaction on social media has not been positive.
Pierre-Alain Thibaut, the General Manager of Le Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps S.A., told FOXSports.com that the rumble strips are designed to keep cars from cutting the Raidillon corner.
“At Spa we wish for races where the drivers stay on the track and compete sportingly on a same playing field,” says Thibaut. “The sleeping policemen (rumble strips) are only 3 cm (1.18 inches) high, so that it does not damage the car when the driver does a mistake, if he doesn’t stay flat-out.”
Thibaut added that the goal is for the drivers to lose time if they run off and thus be inclined not to make “the same mistake deliberately … each lap.
“As the Circuit is used every day, we will evaluate day after day, but the intention is to use them for all events.”
