The ground effect derived from the new regulations for this season has allowed the cars to follow each other more closely and, in turn, opens up the range of overtaking possibilities, but some of the battles in the middle zone have stalled due to a specific problem: DRS trains .
If a car at the front of the pack has enough speed to keep its first pursuer at bay, this can lead to a boring stalemate, as cars pile up one after another and are left helplessly to pass. the rivals.
The question of the DRS trains is an issue that has been talked about between the teams, and something that McLaren boss Andreas Seidl thinks should be looked at.
“I think it’s a topic that we’ve already touched on in some conversations from time to time,” Seidl explained. “And it’s probably something that we have to re-examine with the other teams, with the FIA and with F1.
“With the regulations that we have put in place this year, we have seen that for the cars, when they are fighting each other, it is very easy to follow each other closely without killing the tire almost immediately.
“The problem that we still have from the past is that of the DRS trains.”
“Depending on what this train is like, and which car is in front, and if that’s a car that can really hold everyone else back, that can lead to some boring scenarios in the middle of the pack.
“I think it’s something we still have to look into, to see what we could do there, because I think we’ve already seen it a few times this year.”
Although there is room for improvement, the F1 drivers were delighted last weekend with the ability of the single-seaters to compete at the British Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton looked back: “It reminded me a lot of the karting days. And I think that’s the best thing about Formula 1. The fact that we’ve been able to follow each other and do this, lap by lap, is an example of the direction I think we’re in right now.”
The winner of Sunday’s race, Carlos Sainz, also wanted to offer his impressions on the latest evolutions of the single-seaters.
“I think Formula 1 has made a huge step forward, and today is proof of that. I feel like these cars have gotten a lot better in the race through the high-speed corners and Silverstone has been a great example of how easy it is to follow. [to other cars]”.
“At high speed, the car is much more predictable, so there’s no weird whiplash like we had last year. I was also quite surprised by the slipstream effect.”
“I know with these cars it’s not as big as last year, but as soon as Max [Verstappen] or Charles [Leclerc] got ahead of me, I was able to stay in their wake, thinking I was slower, but suddenly you’re behind and you win four tenths or half a second of pace, just because of the slipstream”.
F1 sporting director Ross Brawn believes the success of this year’s regulations is the result of proper thought given to rules that were designed to allow for closer racing.
“What we are seeing is a new culture regarding the creation of the rules,” he wrote in a column on the official Formula 1 website. “When the regulation is changed or developed, the factors that are taken into account It’s not just the lap time or the cost, but also the ability to compete.”
“The introduction of competition is going to be a significant change for F1 going forward. If there is a legacy from this era, it will be that racing fitness is going to be a factor that will always be taken into account when designing new cars. for Formula 1. We haven’t seen that before.”