For and Against
The new technical regulations, valid from the upcoming Miami Grand Prix, have generated conflicting opinions among drivers: Sergio Perez, for example, has been decidedly critical of Formula 1, believing it is difficult for both drivers and engineers to understand, contrary to what F1 President Stefano Domenicali stated. At the same time, however, there are other drivers who have defended the new technical regulations and the recent innovations introduced, starting with George Russell. The Australian GP winner has in fact distanced himself from the controversies surrounding current F1, believing that he is comfortable with the new cars: “We only remember the positive aspects of certain things and, at the moment, we prefer to focus on the negative ones. Yet, there are many positive aspects to these new regulations and new cars – he declared in an interview with the BBC – personally, I’m getting along very well with the car. The power unit and engine are decidedly different, and it only needs a few small adjustments to be optimized to the maximum. But it has given me the opportunity to fight more and to compete in very close races.”
No ‘Mario Kart’ F1
Moreover, Russell shared the opinions of his compatriot Lewis Hamilton, another driver who has spoken positively about this season’s single-seaters: “Now we are on a go-kart track, and Lewis made a very astute observation: in a go-kart race, if you overtake in a corner, the other driver overtakes you again. And so on. Nobody calls it Mario Kart, or a yo-yo race, or anything like that. We call it pure racing and incredible racing. Anyone who thinks drivers go slow in corners to be faster on the straights is wrong. There are some peculiarities that the FIA has tried to eliminate. These are rather complex details and, frankly, fans don’t need to understand them. From this race onwards, with these small changes that Formula 1 is introducing, it will be easier for us. We will be at full speed on the straights during the qualifying lap and will not have to lift off the accelerator to manage energy.”
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F1 of Yesterday and Today
In conclusion, the Mercedes driver added another element considered positive in current racing, which focuses on a greater number of overtakes compared to the past: “I remember watching Formula 1 twenty years ago and hearing the roar of the engines, it was incredible, but I didn’t see a single overtake. Probably, that was the purest Formula 1 ever seen. But the race was boring. I believe we tend to remember only the positive aspects of certain things. And in the present, we prefer to focus on the negative aspects. Yet there are many positive aspects to these new regulations and new cars. I spoke with a Formula 1 driver from the 80s and 90s, winner of numerous races, and he told me that they had a “boost” button that gave them an extra 300 horsepower, but at the end of the straight, when they released the accelerator, they ran out of fuel. This problem has always been present to some extent. Obviously, it’s different now, but we always like to highlight the negative aspects and remember the positive things of the past.”
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