Bernie Ecclestone has expressed his wish to change the rules in 2017 by increasing downforce of a way of improving lap-times as well as making drivers work harder.
One of the motivating factors behind Ecclestone’s push was the revelation of Max Verstappen’s performances this year. Despite many accepting the young Dutchman is the most recent wunderkind to grace the Formula One grid, Ecclestone is convinced that if a 17-year old can impress in a 2015-spec car, then they are simply too easy to drive.
On his debut weekend at Melbourne in 2014, Kevin Magnussen compared what he was used to in Formula Three to Formula One in terms of the grip level; inferring the current regulations had bridged the gap between young guys coming through to Formula One versus experienced drivers who’ve previously been used to having a lot of down-force at their disposal.
Max Verstappen however believes that any move to increase aero performance would prove inimical to the objective of challenging drivers.
“I think it [more down-force] would make it easier” said Verstappen.
“Now you have quite a heavy car with low down-force which is very tricky – it’s always moving around. So the more down-force you get the easier it will be for us.
“If you have very high top-speeds with very low down-force that’s the trickiest car you can have. If you have fast top-speed with a lot of down-force.”
At yesterday’s Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen attempted to pass Sauber’s Felipe Nasr around the outside of Suzuka’s notorious 130R corner. The attempt was a heart-in-mouth moment for his team at Toto Rosso as Verstappen momentarily lost grip through the corner – only staying on track by virtue of some sublime reactions.
The move was comparable to Fernando Alonso’s pass on Michael Schumacher at the same corner in 2005. While a brave move (and one for aficionados), the grip available to Alonso was far greater than it was for Verstappen.
“Two or three years ago they [drivers] could take 130R flat with DRS open” added Verstappen. “Now we go through there with DRS closed and it’s just about flat. It makes it much more difficult.”
While television mightn’t be revealing the visceral experience inside the cockpit, it’s reassuring to know the current crop of Formula One drivers are still working for their dollar.
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