The fastest F1 cars ever but "impossible to follow another car"
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Although Formula 1 cars are getting quicker than they've ever been, this has come hand in hand with the cars having become more difficult than ever to follow through corners.
In 2019, 14 of the 21 track records were broken during the season. However, a development that comes hand in hand with the cars getting quicker is they are harder to follow closely. The 'dirty air' the cars produce significantly reduces downforce on following drivers, decreasing close racing and therefore decreasing overtakes.
The 2021 regulation changes are meant to tackle this problem but we still have a season ahead of us before that happens. At pre-season testing, drivers already revealed dirty air is worse than ever.
“I feel we’re going quicker than last year again," Daniel Ricciardo told GPBlog on Friday of the second test in Barcelona.
“I think the dirty air we’re creating is more because of the speed we’re going. Long story short: you still feel it, and unfortunately on a track like this one with a lot of high-speed corners in the first two sectors it is very hard to stay close to the car [ahead].”
“I’d like to say it’s better, but no, it’s certainly not; [it’s] worse than last year.”
The Aussie is not the only one who feels this way. His former teammate Max Verstappen echoes Ricciardo's thoughts.
"It is impossible to follow another car," the Dutchman said.
Are we in for a season without any brave overtakes? Is F1 getting too reliant on DRS for overtaking?