13/01/2017
NEWS STORY
The FIA has advised circuit owners that the new regulations for 2017 will necessitate them ensuring their tracks are capable of handling cars cornering up to 25 mph quicker than in 2015.
While we are continually told the cars will look "mean" and "aggressive" and be "beasts to handle", and that the new aero rules and wider tyres will mean increased speeds, one cannot help but feel that perhaps we are being oversold and that it will actually be a case of 'same old'.
However, speaking in Birmingham today at the annual Watkins Lecture, the FIA's Safety Director, Laurent Mekies, revealed that he has advised all circuits to be prepared for the increased speeds this year.
"Every single team has been asked to provide simulations for their 2017 cars," he said, "and we've used these simulations to feed our simulation software and simulated every single track with the 2017 cars, revealing much higher cornering speeds, up to 40 kph (25 mph) faster in high speed corners.
"Every single track is receiving from the FIA a requested upgrade based on that work and that process is ongoing," her continued "We are doing it in the order of the championship and therefore not all the tracks have received it yet."
Already, Mekies revealed, Melbourne has replaced the tyre wall at Turn 12 with a safety barrier, while Turns 1, 6 and 14 are to have their existing tyre walls doubled in depth.