Max Verstappen and father Jos highlight major F1 safety concern: "We all run and slide on it"

Max Verstappen and his father Jos have pointed out the weight of the cars and the layout of multiple tracks and marked them as potential safety issues for the drivers.

While Jos is adamant about the fact that the cars should be much lighter, Max is more focused on the issues of the tracks. He believes that the kerbs are not compatible with the cars that the sport is currently using. While cars can run dangerously close to the ground, some of the 'sausage kerbs' on the tracks turn out to be dangerous for drivers.

Max Verstappen told Viaplay:

"The angle of the kerb and the shape of it is also wrong for the current cars, because every time we all run and slide on it. If you bottom out because of the car being so close to the ground, you can have a big off."

Formula 1 has largely focused on the safety of drivers over the past couple of years. Following this, many new features such as the halo were introduced. Even with all the safety precautions that the authorities have been applying, however, what Max Verstappen pointed out has fair grounds in the opinion of many.

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Max Verstappen uses Mick Schumacher's example in Saudi Arabia

During the qualifying session at the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Mick Schumacher went through a scary crash after going onto the kerb at Turn 10, losing control, and hitting the wall with a huge impact. The German, however, was safe. Since the entire Saudi Arabia track is taken at extremely high speed, small issues like this can turn out to be fatal for the drivers because of the high risk involved.

Max Verstappen used this example to further justify his statement, saying:

"Three drivers from the GPDA will go to FOM and the FIA to discuss what we can do with the track. [The point where Schumacher hit the wall] there was no Tecpro [barrier] to crush the speed, and he went straight into concrete, which is not good. There are a few little things that we can improve, as sometimes they forget about the little things - but the angles of walls for sure [is important]."

Are sausage kerbs extremely necessary in F1?

Sausage kerbs serve their purpose by standing as a barrier for drivers to not cut corners. They were really necessary back in the day. With the advent of technology, however, there are many other ways in which stewards can keep an eye on cars and stop them from going wide or cutting corners.

Many incidents have occurred due to sausage kerbs. While Schumacher is just one example, a particular event during the Formula 2 British GP saw a car flying into the air because of a sausage kerb. Hence, many believe that these are not necessary and should be removed to reinforce the safety of the drivers.