Masi: Drivers asked for bollard system

Formula 1 race director Michael Masi states that drivers asked for the bollard system to be implemented following a meeting in Canada. 

During the race weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard, there were bollards placed in the first sector, which drivers had to go around if they left the track in order to re-join safely.

They were in prominent use in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races, while in F1, Sergio Perez went around the bollard on lap 1 after leaving the track, but still earned a time penalty. 

In Canada, drivers also had to keep left to a sign when rejoining the circuit if they missed the final chicane - all motives pushed by the drivers themselves. 

"It's something that the drivers have asked for," Masi said. "It comes following a discussion that we had in Canada in the drivers' meeting, so we've got it here.

"There's a lot of run-off out there so it was a prime situation and a prime set of circumstances to actually try it. 

"The one at Turn 2, from what I saw in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races starts, seemed to work quite effectively.

"The one at 5, probably not as effective as we would have liked but where they rejoined, it certainly worked quite well. So generally, it's one of those from the hotspots that we will continue to try."

No major changes for Austria

F1 has its first doubleheader of the year, as next weekend sees the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

There has been no major alterations to the circuit ahead of the race weekend, with all changes related to minor maintenance fixes.

"It's been more safety changes, a couple of kerbs have been slightly extended but it's minor things," Masi said.

"It's more back of house tidy ups rather than substantial changes, some entry kerbs extended by five metres or a bit of concrete around them just to tidy it up from a maintenance perspective."