The regulations that came into force this season have forced the teams to create ground effect cars whose purpose is to allow drivers to be able to closely follow those in front without losing excessively downforce.
If this goal seems to have been achieved, a controversial aspect has emerged, especially in the struggles of the mid-table group: the creation of the DRS trains.
If a car leading the pack has enough speed in some parts of the track to keep the following at bay, then a stalemate can occur.
The issue of the DRS trains is a team that has already been discussed between the team principals and Andreas Seidl highlighted how it needs to be addressed further.
“I think it is a topic that we have already touched on in some discussions from time to time and it is probably something that we have to examine again with the other teams, with the FIA and with F1.”
“With the regulations adopted for this season we have certainly seen that cars can follow each other more easily when they are in battle with each other without rapid tire degradation.”
“However, the problem we still carry with us from the past is that of the DRS trains. Depending on what the train looks like and which car it is in front of, boring scenarios can be created in the middle of the group.”
“I think this is something we will still have to look at to see what can be done, because this year it has already happened several times.”
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Although there is room for improvement, on the occasion of last weekend at Silverstone the drivers said they were enthusiastic about the driveability of the cars on the English track.
Lewis Hamilton, protagonist at the end of a fight with Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, said: “It reminded me of the times of karting and I think this is Formula 1 at its best. The fact that we have been able to chase and fight so closely is a demonstration of the correct direction in which we are going ”.
British GP winner Carlos Sainz added: “I think Formula 1 has made a big step forward and today is proof of that. With these cars we are able to express ourselves to the maximum in high-speed corners and Silverstone was a great example of how much the situation has improved ”.
“At high speeds the car is much more predictable, the strange jerks that occurred last year don’t happen.”
“I was also surprised by the wake effect. I know it’s not as effective with these cars as it was last year, but as soon as Max or Charles passed me I could stay close to them. You think you’re slower, but then suddenly you find yourself behind and gain four tenths or half a second of pace thanks to the slipstream that helps you stay close to all the cars. “
According to Ross Brawn, the spectacularity of this year’s races is the result of careful reflection on the rules written to allow for closer fights.
“We are seeing a new culture when it comes to creating rules,” he wrote in a column on the official F1 website. “When the regulations are changed or developed, the factors taken into consideration are not only the lap time or the cost, but also the driveability of the car”.
“This will represent a significant change for the F1 of the future. If there is one legacy that will leave this era it is that driveability will always be a factor. It has never happened before.”
#Seidl #work #eliminate #DRS #trains