Start-finish straight
The start-finish straight (also known as the pit straight ) is the section of a racetrack where the beginning and the end are located. The beginning is marked by the starting line. Often the end is in the same place as the beginning, but there can also be a finish line with its own marker in front of the start line, e.g. B. in the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari .
There are also markings for the starting positions on the start-finish straight. The race is usually started from the start-finish straight, e.g. B. by a standing start. A special set of traffic lights is installed above the straight for this starting form, which is the most common in Europe and Formula 1 . The start-finish straight is not always a straight, for example the Circuit de Monaco only has an elongated curve on which the races begin and end.
Usually the pit lane and its exit and, more rarely, its entrance are right next to the start-finish straight . On some routes there are several start-finish straights, e.g. B. on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps or on the middle of the desert of Bahrain nearby Bahrain International Circuit , the second pit lane is the private investment of the royal family. The start-finish straight is often the longest and fastest straight on a racetrack, e.g. B. on the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Formula 1 races up to 369 km / h were achieved.
Not always used, but the important thing is the Red Flag Line , the line behind which you must stop after a break.
At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , where the US Grand Prix was held, you can still find a small strip of the original pavement after the finish line.