Amid Concerns of Local Protests, Lewis Hamilton’s Home GP Track Take Steps to Avoid a Farce Like 2022

F1 drivers risk their life for fans’ entertainment. The least they expect is for the FIA to take all the precautions and safety measures. But sometimes, due to unforeseeable circumstances, these safety measures turn into a hazard. The same happened at Lewis Hamilton’s home GP in 2022 and, to avoid an incident like that, steps have been taken by the authorities. However, the story doesn’t end as the local protestors are also posing a threat to the security of F1 drivers.

High-profile events in the UK are being intruded on by political protestors as the local protest reaches an all-time high. The organizers of the British GP fear that the race in summer could also be raided by these protestors. In 2022, six protestors made it to the track after the start of the race. However, the race was already stopped and red-flagged due to an incident that occurred at Turn 1. Rumors of the London GP emerging as a street race have been going around, which might put Lewis Hamilton’s home GP at risk.

Regardless, keeping these rumors aside, let’s discuss the incident that caused the red flag last year and the changes made. Zhou Guanyu was involved in the turn 1 accident last year when George Russell hit his right rear, flipping him upside down. As the Chinese driver slid upside down toward the fence outside Turn 1, his car dug into the gravel with the momentum flipping the car up in the air and over the fence. The Gravel trap designed to slow a car down actually caused more damage. To avoid a repeat of the incident, the gravel trap has been removed for this year.

According to Motorsport.com, Stuart Pringle, the Silverstone circuit manager said “We’ve done a lot of work this winter. The purpose of the change is to prevent drivers from getting stuck in the gravel pool. That was the biggest problem in that part of the track anyway.”

The gravel trap has been replaced by asphalt run-off, making it safer for both the drivers and the public. Nevertheless, Silverstone’s contract with F1 ends in 2024, with no news of renewal coming. The proposal of a London GP is interesting and will attract lot of attention.

Is Formula 1 interested in hosting a London Grand Prix on a street circuit?

Ever since the liberty media takeover, F1 has been trying to appeal to a larger and wider audience. With the introduction of street races like Miami and Las Vegas, Liberty Media is trying to hype up F1 for a non-F1 enthusiast.

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The proposed layout is expected to be a 22-corner circuit with a Montreal-like flow to it. Max Farrell suggests that F1 has shown interest in hosting a GP and the track layout meets all the rules and regulations of the FIA.

According to MotorSportMagazine.com, Max Farrell, CEO of the LDN Collective project design consultancy said “We know that Formula 1 are interested in hosting a grand prix here and we have designed a track that meets all of their requirements and regulations. By extending the promenade we are creating a flexible eventscape and by creating floating commercial uses we are making the proposal financially viable and deliverable, without the taxpayer footing the bill.”

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Would you like to see a street-style London GP? What do you make of the changes made to the Silverstone Circuit?