Red Bull Ring unveils modified layout after terrifying MotoGP crash

F1 News

30 March 2022 at 11:35
Last update 30 March 2022 at 12:24
  • GPblog.com

The Red Bull Ring has unveiled a new chicane at the circuit's third corner. That chicane will be used in future MotoGP races in place of the regular corner, where a number of extremely dangerous situations have occurred in recent years.

In 2020, for example, a terrifying crash took place between Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco, whose bikes were then torpedoed onto the track and missed a number of riders by inches (see video). MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi got away especially well, as he rode right between both bikes.

Red Bull Ring unveils new corner after violent MotoGP crash

The incident caused critical reactions from the riders, who felt that the corner should be modified. The organizers responded by modifying the ultra-fast corner combination that leads from turn two to turn three. The adjustment applies only to MotoGP; Formula 1 will continue to use the regular corner.

The famous Formula 1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke, also designer of the Red Bull Ring, was the man who designed the new circuit section. The German went through fifteen different designs during the planning process due to the "challenging topography of the terrain," he tells the circuit's official website.

Video | Terrifying crash in MotoGP Austria 2020