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FIA announces US Grand Prix changes after huge 207 deletions
Williams driver Alex Albon locks up in practice running in Austin.
Alex Albon had more laps deleted than anyone else in Austin, but most of the grid had multiple laps struck off.

FIA race director Rui Marques has announced in his notes for the United States Grand Prix that track limits have been relaxed at several corners.

A whopping 207 lap times were deleted in free practice on Friday in Austin, with officials now acting to ease the limits for drivers on Saturday.

FIA reveals track limits relaxation after 207 lap deletions at US Grand Prix

The FIA document reveals that white lines have been widened at Turns 12, 15 and 20, with the placement of the blue line on track – which signifies the absolute track limit – also moved to accommodate this.

Further works have also been carried out to address the bumpiness of the circuit after drivers questioned whether the Circuit of The Americas venue was up to F1 standard.

At the fast left-hander of Turn 19, asphalt grinding has taken place, with the bumps having been particularly prevalent into that corner.

As for track limit infringements, Turns 6, 12, 15, 19 and 20 all proved particularly popular spots for drivers exceeding the permitted width of the track in Austin on Friday.

At Turn 20, drivers are dealt a double blow as, not only is their current lap deleted for track limits if they exceed the track width, their next lap is also deleted as the final corner leads onto the pit straight.

More from the United States Grand Prix

Williams driver Alex Albon struggled to make his mark on proceedings on Friday, having had the highest number of laps deleted and not setting a representative time overall, with his FW48 also proving tough to handle.

Addressing the circuit’s bumps, Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto was among those to speak out against them after Friday’s running.

“It’s very harsh,” he said. “Honestly, for an F1 standard, it shouldn’t be like this.

“It’s a shame. I guess they need to resurface a little bit more parts that are bumpy because they resurfaced the part of the track that you basically straight line, so it doesn’t really matter.

“Hopefully for the future they can fix because it’s an amazing track, amazing layout, and I love to race here. But, with these bumps, sometimes it can be also dangerous.”

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