Sausage curbs aren’t very old in F1. For those of you wondering what they are, sausage curbs are the little ramps on the sides of the track. These curbs are there to discourage drivers from running wide, but lately, they’ve been under the scanner for not being particularly safe. Many people are in favor of it, but there’s also a large chunk that believes sausage curbs need to go. So, is it really a boon or a bane to drivers?

Why Are Sausage Curbs A Boon?

Sausage Curbs were introduced to keep the drivers from running wide and ensure they stay within the designated limits. They even help slow them down on fast corners. If the drivers violate these curbs, they are awarded warnings and penalties at best, and lap time cancellations at worst. From the race point of view, sausage curbs are justified. However…

Why Are Sausage Curbs A Bane?

… things get ugly when the ramps are tall and don’t exactly act just as a washboard to keep the drivers in check and let them know they’re on the sausage curb.

The sausage curbs are small ramps and do a lot more than just help the drivers know they’re fouling and get cars back on the track. There have been many instances in the past wherein sausage curbs have caused accidents. Alex Peroni’s Monza crash in 2019 is perhaps the most famous one. Fortunately, he walked away relatively unhurt considering how bad the crash was.

Most recently, the curbs played a part in the crash that involved Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix last month. It happened at the circuit’s tight first chicane, wherein Verstappen’s car hit the sausage curb which forced the car back onto the track, launching it in the air, and climbing onto Hamilton’s car. Had it not been for the Halo, this could’ve been a lot worse for Hamilton.

Apart from the safety aspect, they also cause huge damages to the car. The Austria circuit’s turn 9 and the penultimate corner on the Abu Dhabi track are the other notorious curbs. The Austria track’s curbs were removed, though. It could be after the Red Bull team’s principal, Christian Horner, and his Mercedes counterpart, Toto Wolff called for changes after the front wings on their cars were damaged. In fact, Horner said three front wings were affected in the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix and a total of about £250,000 of damages.

With the sausage curbs being criticized enough already, do you think they will stay around for long? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.