The new technical regulation that entered into force this year will have to allow drivers to follow the cars in front more easily without losing excessive aerodynamic load. The ground effect cars, strongly desired by the Federation, made their debut last month in Barcelona during the first pre-season test session, and in Bahrain, last week, the drivers were able to get a clearer idea about the loss of pressure in the wake.
Max Verstappen said that the single-seaters are now more predictable unlike those of the previous generation, but from the outside it seemed that the chasing car even with the DRS open could not easily approach the one in front.
On the occasion of the last day of testing in Bahrain there was also an unusual duel between Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W13, and the Frenchman showed some interest in understanding the reactions of his car in the wake. to that of the seven-time world champion.
“I have to admit it was amazing to fight with Lewis for a couple of laps. It was also interesting to follow it so as to collect some data to understand the behavior of the car in the wake of another. I think the situation has definitely improved compared to last year and this makes me optimistic for 2022 ”.
The winner of the 2020 Monza GP then declared that he had seen a Mercedes in clear difficulty on the Sakhir track, while he did not want to unbalance the potential of an AT03 which seems to be quite competitive.
“From our point of view, we still have a lot of work to do to improve not only the performance, but also the balance of the car. Lewis? Honestly, I saw him suffer “.
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT03
Photo by: Motorsport Images
“I think they too have work to do to get back to fighting for the top. Obviously we’re just talking about testing and on this occasion everyone is exploring every area to get the most out of the car ”.
“From a show point of view, I can say that those with Hamilton have been some interesting laps. I think the public and all the spectators will have fun this season ”.
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