Drivers praise the improved overtaking behaviour of the cars, which no longer have strange moments – tyres still a limiting factor
Formula 1 seems to have achieved its goal for 2022 and made overtaking easier. That’s the consensus among drivers after the first four races of the season. “I do think you can follow better with the cars,” says Max Verstappen. “At least you don’t have those weird moments anymore. “
By this, the Red Bull driver means unexpected oversteer or understeer in the corner when the downforce suddenly changes. This no longer occurs to such an extent with the ground effect. Nevertheless, the Dutchman believes that Formula 1 will always have a problem when going behind. “It’s just because of the speed in the corners,” he said.
“But it feels a bit better already,” he admits.
For him, however, the biggest problem when following is the tyres – that hasn’t changed despite the new dimensions. “When we get close, you burn your tyres a bit more than you want, and they overheat a bit more too,” he explains.
Lando Norris has to agree: “I manage the tyres pretty much every lap of the race, and even in qualifying you have to manage them a bit,” says the McLaren driver. “And if you have those little moments of oversteer when you’re going behind, then you pay the price very quickly. “
“And that’s the last bit that’s missing to really be able to overtake or to be as close together as you are in Formula 4,” said the Briton.
But the drivers are currently working with tyre manufacturer Pirelli on possible solutions to make the issue better. Verstappen knows it’s not easy for the Italians because the 18-inch tyres are brand new, and there hasn’t been much testing of the trailing before. “But I’m sure we can improve it for the coming months or next year. “
Cold tyres: “You have to factor it in “
Another tyre issue at Imola was the temperatures. Warming up the tyres proved difficult due to the cool ambient temperatures, the lower temperatures in the heater blankets and the wet track, so pilots were at a disadvantage on the first lap after the pit stop.
“Yeah well, that’s life,” Norris takes it stoically. “I know they were a bit colder than before, but on a track like this, when the conditions are cold and there’s only one line, it’s always difficult,” he says. “But you have to deal with that and factor that into the strategy.”
Norris doesn’t really see it as a big problem. The only thing that could be difficult in some places is behind the safety car, when you can’t do fast corner speeds – especially in wet conditions. “But that’s the only problem. If they solve that, then I’m happy. “
Rain tyres not optimal
Verstappen also sees room for improvement, especially with the rain tyres. “You only want to use them when there’s a lot of water, because as soon as it gets drier they’re quite slow and you want to switch to intermediates quickly,” he said.
“But of course they don’t displace the water that well. And if there is just a little bit of standing water, then it’s very difficult to drive because of the bad warm-up,” the Dutchman said.
“But again, we just need some sessions and we have to see what Pirelli can do there. Because for them our downforce there is also a question mark and it’s the first year with it,” he said. “I’m not a tyre expert, but I can understand why there are problems there. It’s not easy. “
