The IndyCar feature that Paul Ricard desperately needs in F1

Let's face it: Paul Ricard is not a particularly good Formula 1 circuit – at least, for modern cars. The finicky nature of the opening sector often relegates the field of drivers into operating in a single file, and although the Signes and Le Beausset corners towards the end of the lap are challenging long-radius corners that reward bravery on the throttle, they also offer a different problem. The much-maligned 'dirty air' produced by modern racing cars often forces the car behind to wash out and lose grip, and drivers can only attempt to mount overtakes at both with a significant tyre advantage.

That, and the plethora of abrasive strips lining the circuit's perimeter are headache-inducing. Ultimately, they're a legacy of the circuit's days as a "high-tech test track" - providing a huge safety net for drivers suffering a slight lapse in concentration as they pound around the circuit for hours at a time. Those strips will peel some of the tyres' best days away from them but, given the run-off apparently extends into the horizon, do so in return for keeping the car out of the wall.