For Friday’s practice session at Zandvoort, strong wind gusts of 80 km/h are forecast: drivers are talking about a real danger on the track
Does the wind pose a greater danger at Zandvoort on Friday? At least that’s what the statements of some drivers who are afraid of strong gusts of wind in practice suggest. Weather forecasts for Friday predict wind speeds of 80 km/h in some places
For this reason, a weather warning has been issued for the province, warning of flying debris. But even if it’s not quite so drastic, drivers could be caught on the wrong foot by a gust of wind, warns McLaren driver Lando Norris. And there is no room for error at Zandvoort.
“It’s a lot harder than people think,” says the Briton. “I mean, even if it’s 20 to 25 km/h, that’s a lot. Even if there’s no wind, you can tell the difference at ten km/h,” says Norris. “Even if it’s only a constant 25 km/h, it’s difficult, but if it’s 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 km/h … I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
He warns: “If a strong wind hits a car in a fast bend, the handling changes completely. “There’s nothing you can do as a driver,” he says. “You’ll end up in the gravel or in the wall. I don’t know what to expect …”
Charles Leclerc emphasizes that he does not believe that there are cars designed for the wind speeds predicted for Friday. “I’m not sure we’ll see many cars on track if that’s the case,” says the Ferrari driver, who is also expecting strong winds on Saturday and Sunday – although not as strong as on Friday.
Similarly, Oscar Piastri emphasizes the susceptibility of the cars to wind under the new regulations, in which the cars create downforce via grip: “The amount of downforce you gain – or more importantly lose – depending on the wind direction is enormous,” he says and believes that the cars will feel like Formula 2 in some corners.
“It’s a big change and also very difficult for us because we obviously can’t feel the wind that well,” says the Australian. “You can feel it pretty well when it’s blowing sideways, but when it’s headwind or tailwind, it’s not always so easy to tell.”
“And if you catch a gust at the wrong moment, you have no control over it in a way. So I think it’s going to be quite an interesting day and an interesting weekend, with the wind and the rain,” says the McLaren driver.
Williams driver Alexander Albon adds that it will be particularly difficult for the drivers once again, as they have just come out of a three-week summer break and are no longer used to driving. “It will be an interesting challenge,” he says.
“A lot of people have been on boats and so on, and now we have a tight, twisty track, high downforce, decent winds and sandy run-off areas,” says the Thai, who sees this as a good opportunity to get back into it.
