Notoriously complicated F1 cars
There is one day left before the end of pre-season testing. After two days, the Bahrain circuit has unveiled astonishing and difficult-to-tame F1 cars.
The regulatory overhaul is successful on several aspects: each team has a very different design philosophy and the following cars have an easier life.
Speaking of design, Mercedes’ design has stunned observers: “a nearly invisible absence of side pods!”
The world championship team, however, encountered a major setback with the new regulation. The ground effect is compensated by reduced aerodynamic support: in Bahrain, almost all the cars experienced significant understeer…or oversteer.
These phenomena were observable in both top teams of 2021: the Mercedes, with its wasp-like waist, proved to be very unstable. Lewis Hamilton, coming out of turn 12, had a little scare.
It’s the opposite for the reigning world champion: Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB18 is also not an example of stability. The Dutch driver seemed to struggle to hit the ideal racing line.
Lance Stroll, finally, missed the braking point at turn 7. It was quite astonishing to see how much he had to slow down, wheels locked, in order to regain traction.
This trend has been observed in all cars, despite a calmed down porpoise-ing. However, the Ferraris seem to have a head start on the pack… at least for now.
New braking method
This reduction in support makes the single-seaters much more temperamental (and slower as well).
Less support leads to less stability, and less stability makes wheel lock-ups more frequent. It is even possible that all four wheels are locked up at the same time.
Charles Leclerc has given a name to his new braking technique: the triangle! In other words, releasing the brakes just after applying them.
The 2021 F1 cars being aerodynamic gems, the braking points could be later and more stable. However, this year’s ones require a lot of delicacy on the brake pedal.
The biggest brakers, like Max Verstappen, will have to find a smoother method for their attacks. However, it’s not certain that the “divebombs” will disappear.
The 2022 season promises to be very interesting to watch. The race conditions will provide a much clearer idea of who has done the best job. It’s up to the drivers to make good use of it!
It can be anticipated that these new cars will be less forgiving of mistakes than their predecessors.
