Max Verstappen has indicated that the constraints of Formula 1’s new regulations were foreseeable from the beginning, cautioning that it is already “a bit late” to implement modifications to enhance the racing experience.
The new generation of hybrid cars in F1 will compete for the first time on Sunday in Australia, but insights gained from preseason testing in Bahrain have raised apprehensions regarding the nature of racing that the new regulations will facilitate.
The intention of F1’s governing bodies to have vehicles powered 50% by sustainable fuels and 50% by electric energy has established a fragile equilibrium for the drivers, which Verstappen has already described as “anti-racing” and akin to “Formula E on steroids.”
The issue is that certain circuit configurations, like Melbourne’s Albert Park, offer so few chances to recharge the battery during heavy braking that drivers must gather energy at different sections of the track, such as high-speed corners or the ends of straights, where they would typically be accelerating fully.
By strategically sacrificing lap time in those areas to recharge the battery, the retrieved energy can subsequently be utilized to reduce the overall lap time through prolonged energy deployment on straights.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has urged stakeholders in the sport not to panic and stated that the FIA, the sport’s regulatory body, is receptive to adjustments if deemed necessary early in the season.
However, Verstappen emphasizes that the limitations of the new regulations have been evident since their initial announcement in 2022, and any significant changes at this point would occur after teams have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in development.
“Yeah, we’re a bit late with that, right?” the four-time champion remarked on the eve of the new season in Australia.
“The amount of money that has been invested as well into these regulations, they will be around for a while.
“So, you could have seen this coming. Suddenly now things are raised, it’s a bit late.”
One potential solution could involve limiting the amount of electrical energy the hybrid system can deploy at any given moment to distribute usage throughout the lap.
However, with F1’s new generation of cars already anticipated to be several seconds slower than last year’s, Verstappen noted that such a solution would merely lead to slower lap times.
“I mean you can reduce the power, but then of course you also go slower in lap time, so I’m not sure,” he stated. “It’s a difficult subject to actually say this is the best thing that we have at the moment.
“I guess that’s why they also just want to see how it goes here in the first place. But, yeah, it’s all pretty complicated.”
Albert Park is among four locations (including Jeddah, the Red Bull Ring, and Monza) identified as particularly challenging for energy management under the new regulations.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton mentioned that the differences between tracks will be significant, implying that Sunday’s race in Australia may not accurately reflect how races will unfold throughout the season.
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“Some tracks you don’t have to do lift and coast [to harvest energy] for a single lap, and in some places you have to do a lot of lift and coast for a qualifying lap,” he explained. “There can be a big difference between deployment, of a second.
“If you don’t lift in one corner, for example Turn 6 and Turn 5 here, if you take it flat or if you lift, it has a massive compound effect through the rest of the lap. You can do a good lap but you could be a second down because the deployment is off.”
Hamilton also emphasized the necessity of communicating the challenges faced by the drivers to F1’s audience.
“I just hope that Formula 1 is able to project that to the fans so they can understand what’s going on, because inside [the team] it’s a lot to fully understand it,” he added.
“I hope commentators come and go speak to the teams, maybe understand it a little bit more, so you’re not just throwing ideas out there about what we’re trying to do or what the challenges we are facing, because it’s no joke. It’s really, really challenging.”
There is a chance that Sunday’s race will yield unpredictable results as teams strive to grasp the optimal energy deployment strategies, adding an element of excitement that was absent under the previous regulations.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz stated that it is crucial to thoroughly assess the advantages and disadvantages from the initial three races before hastily implementing any regulatory changes.
“It could go both ways, that’s why evaluating and trying to predict how it will be on TV before it even happens is not worth it,” he remarked. “Let’s see, whatever rules we’ve come up with for this year, let’s put them on track and then evaluate.
“And if there needs to be changes, that’s the only thing I’ve told Stefano and the FIA, is that we need to be open-minded in the first two or three races, because China will be different and Japan will be different again.
“Give it maybe two or three examples, and then if clearly there’s something off, something wrong, I hope we are able to change.”
Source: espn.com
