Behind the Barriers with Dr Campbell Waddell: From a PhD on Track Grip to F1 Circuits Around the World
Most people watching a Grand Prix never think about the asphalt. The drivers do, the tyre engineers do, and so do the people responsible for building, testing and maintaining the circuit. For the best part of two decades, that has been Dr Campbell Waddell's world.
In this special edition of Behind the Barriers, produced by the Missed Apex F1 Podcast, Matt "Trumpets" Ragsdale turns the microphone on his own co-host. Campbell, CEO of TrackWalk and Managing Director of R3 Ltd, talks through how a PhD on the grip of motorsport surfaces led to work at Formula 1 circuits around the world. The episode was published on 18 October 2026 and runs for around 1 hour 4 minutes.
Watch and listen to the full episode
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KFjGtCMz4uo
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6jzasFHZd2VwQrQZATcm1x
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-barriers-campbell-waddell/id1097310026?i=1000796969946
What you'll learn
During the conversation, Matt and Campbell cover:
How a doctorate on racetrack grip turned into a career on the F1 calendar.
Why the interaction between tyre and asphalt matters so much to performance and safety.
What surface testing at an international circuit actually involves.
Stories from nearly 20 years behind the barriers, including what happens when an F1 driver hits you in the face with a car door.
How experience on track led to the creation of TrackWalk.
From a PhD on grip to the Formula 1 calendar
Campbell's doctorate at Ulster University, The Grip of Motorsport Surfaces, set out a method to quantify racetrack grip by measuring surface microtexture and macrotexture and describing how a tyre envelops the asphalt. That work feeds tyre and surface simulation, and it gave Campbell a rare specialism: understanding a circuit from the surface up.
Before founding R3 and TrackWalk, Campbell spent eight years at Findlay Irvine, the maker of the GripTester, running friction surveys on racetracks, runways and highways around the world. His published work includes a 2011 study of longitudinal and lateral grip variation at the Yas Marina F1 circuit.
Why track surfaces matter more than most people think
A circuit surface is not just a strip of asphalt. It is a performance and safety system in its own right.
Grip levels change with texture, wear, temperature, contamination and age. Patches, repairs and resurfacing can alter how a corner behaves. Kerbs, run-off and drainage all interact with the surface. When grip is inconsistent, drivers notice, tyres suffer and the margin for error shrinks.
This is why governing bodies take surface quality seriously, and why Campbell has contributed as an affiliate member of the FIA Industry Working Group for Racetrack Safety, including work on the FIA Racetrack Asphalt Pavement Guidelines.
From surface data to circuit operations
Surface testing showed Campbell a wider problem. Circuits generate huge amounts of safety-critical information, from inspections and defects to repairs, incidents and asset condition, but much of it lives on paper, in spreadsheets or in people's heads.
TrackWalk was built to fix that. It gives circuit teams one place to record what was inspected, what was found, who is responsible for fixing it and when it was closed out.
Lessons for circuit owners and operators
1. The surface is a safety-critical asset. It should be inspected, measured and managed with the same discipline as barriers, fencing and marshal posts.
2. Small changes have big consequences. A repair, a patch or a change in texture can alter grip in ways that matter at racing speed.
3. Evidence matters. Identifying a defect is not enough. Circuits need to show what was inspected, by whom, how it was assessed and whether it was closed out.
4. Experience needs a system. Knowledge built up over years at the track should be recorded, so it is not lost when people move on.
5. Tools must work trackside. Any system used by circuit teams has to be quick and simple to use out on the circuit, not just in an office.
About Dr Campbell Waddell
Dr Campbell Waddell is a racetrack safety and surface dynamics specialist, CEO of TrackWalk and Managing Director of R3 Ltd. He holds a PhD in civil engineering from Ulster University on the grip of motorsport surfaces and has more than 15 years of international experience assessing racetrack, runway and highway surface friction. He is an affiliate member of the FIA Industry Working Group for Racetrack Safety and sits on the BSI Surface Characteristics Committee. Campbell is also a regular co-host of the Missed Apex F1 Podcast's Behind the Barriers series.
Follow Campbell on LinkedIn.
About TrackWalk
TrackWalk is the first operational platform built for motorsport venues. It helps circuits to:
Digitise track and site inspections.
Record observations using voice and video.
Generate inspection reports automatically.
Assign and track maintenance actions through to close-out.
Manage assets and their condition across the whole venue.
Log incidents and keep an audit-ready record for insurers and governing bodies.
TrackWalk is developed by R3 Ltd and is used by leading venues, including Silverstone.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr Campbell Waddell? Dr Campbell Waddell is CEO of TrackWalk and Managing Director of R3 Ltd. He is a specialist in motorsport surface grip and racetrack safety, with a PhD on the grip of motorsport surfaces and experience at F1 circuits worldwide.
What is this Behind the Barriers episode about? It follows Campbell's career from a PhD on racetrack grip to surface testing and consultancy at Formula 1 circuits, covering tyres, asphalt, circuit safety and life behind the barriers on a Grand Prix weekend.
Where can I watch or listen? The episode is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It was published by the Missed Apex F1 Podcast on 18 October 2026 and runs for around 1 hour 4 minutes.
Why does track surface grip matter? Grip governs how tyres transfer braking, acceleration and cornering forces to the track. Inconsistent or degraded grip affects lap times, tyre wear and safety margins, so circuits need to measure and manage it.
What is TrackWalk? TrackWalk is a digital platform for racetrack operations. It helps venues manage inspections, incidents, assets, maintenance actions and compliance records in one place.
Final thoughts
This episode is a reminder that safe, fast racing starts at the surface. Behind every Grand Prix is years of engineering, testing and maintenance that the public rarely sees.
Our thanks to Matt and the Missed Apex team for another Behind the Barriers episode. If you enjoy it, please subscribe to the Missed Apex F1 Podcast and share it with colleagues in motorsport and circuit operations.
