Advice to the FIA
Juan Pablo Montoya is undoubtedly one of the drivers who best represent that F1 a bit more no-nonsense from the early 2000s. Yet, the former Williams and McLaren driver did not hide a certain appreciation for the new rules that have sparked much debate among fans and drivers. The Colombian, in an interview granted to the portal Casinostugan, explained how, in fact, some adjustments to energy management could benefit the spectacle on track, provided that the FIA is careful not to overdo it and avoid recreating the boring “DRS trains” often seen with last generation cars.
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F1, Juan Pablo Montoya’s opinion
“I don’t think in five weeks – explains Juancho – they will manage to fix something they have been working on for the last four years. The only possible solution, if it’s a safety issue, is to limit the amount of energy distributed in the various sectors. At that point, the rules will be the same for everyone. If they want to change, they can reduce power to extend battery life a bit and reduce lift and coast. If they cut 20% of the electric motor power, more energy could be used for the overtaking mode and it might not be a bad idea. If the amount of energy and its use on other straights were limited, then the safety problem related to speed differences would disappear. But uniformity is needed.”
“The fact is – he adds – that now every team delivers power differently and thinks their way is the best. Look at Ferrari in the first sector at Suzuka and how incredibly fast they were, and the same in the middle sector, but then in the third it seemed Mercedes had done a much better job because they didn’t drain the battery too much at the start of the lap. This makes a huge difference in the end. So, if it is established where energy can be delivered and how much energy can be delivered per sector, then drivers are forced to a normal race.”
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Watch out for contraindications
Montoya, however, warns Formula 1 against the risk of overreacting, and thus causing harm: “If the FIA solved the safety problem, we could see the return of DRS trains and end up with a race without overtaking. And then people will complain that F1 is boring. The truth is there is no right answer, because they abandoned last year’s rules because they were considered invalid, since teams and drivers complained about how terrible the ground effect was, because it was impossible to follow the car ahead and there was a lot of porpoising. And now? Everyone says we have to go back? That’s the problem, too many people are listened to.” “We have to be very careful, they could shoot themselves in the foot trying to make F1 races safer for the drivers,” concludes Juan Pablo Montoya.
