Drivers Say Overtaking is Harder in 2018

It was a criticism from many when the new regulations were announced and 2017 proved them right.

Multiple drivers have discussed how difficult it is to pass another car with the newer Formula One cars after a difficult race on Sunday. They echo sentiments from 12 months prior when there were only 2 overtakes during the entire 2017 Australian Grand Prix. Although there was more this year, overtaking was still too difficult in the views of many drivers.

Valtteri Bottas was expected to be able to make decent progress through the field in his Mercedes however he could only manage 8th place on Sunday.

“You already feel some losses when you are three seconds away,” Bottas said. “Once you get within one second to a few tenths it just ramps up.”

A third DRS zone was added at Albert Park in a bid to make overtaking easier. “It helped a little bit but very small difference,” said Bottas. “This year it’s again more difficult to follow so maybe it plus or minus zero with that.”

Teammate Lewis Hamilton also hit difficulties when he was trying to mount an attack on Sebastian Vettel in the latter stages of the race.

“My best friend was on the edge of a cliff and I couldn’t get to him to save his life today, that’s how hard it was to overtake,” he said.

“I couldn’t for the life of me, with all my abilities, all my tools, I just couldn’t get close enough to be in fighting range. I was catching him in the corners but he was quicker on the straights. Maybe the next races it’s going to be different.”

The Mercedes drivers weren't alone in their criticisms. Daniel Ricciardo, one of F1's best overtakers echoed the Silver Arrows drivers concerns.

“It’s not often I sit behind someone for most of the race but it’s a tight track and one of the more tricky ones for passing,” he said. “There were a couple of times I had a look at turn three but Kimi was wise to that and could see what I was planning.”

Further down the grid, the problems continued to surface. Force India's Estaban Ocon couldn't recover from a disappointing qualifying and instead, both cars finished outside the points.

“We couldn’t come back because it was hard to overtake,” he said. “I got Lance at the start and that was basically it.”

A third DRS zone had been added to the circuit between turns 12 and 13, a popular overtaking spot, but there was little action in the final sector due to turbulent air and drivers' inability to get close.

Bahrain hosted an incredible race in 2014 dubbed the "duel in the desert" between title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg but it also saw great racing lower down the order also. Fans will be hoping for a repeat after a dull opening race of 2018