This season’s Monaco Grand Prix was fearfully anticipated as the new cars are slower and heavier than the old ones. However, the main problem with the new 2022 F1s is not speed.
The change of technical regulation that the Formula 1 experienced this year has improved the competition in some respects, but has made it worse in others. And, for many, the change has most likely not been worth it.
It is true that the new cars with ground effect allow roll closer to each otherbut also that overtaking is still quite complicated and that the layout of the circuits and the degradation of the tires are the crucial elements in this regard.
“It’s just that your eyeballs pop out of their sockets”
In return, the new cars are even heavier and, with full fuel tanks, Grand Prix starts with more than 900 kg. In addition, the previously mentioned ground effect has generated the appearance of the pouringbounce or pitch.
And, as if this were not enough, the new wheels with 18-inch rims have generated a stiffness that accentuates potholes and it becomes painful for the pilots in some circuits.
one second per lap
As a result of all this, expectations for the Monaco Grand Prix they were really low and this year’s heavy and stiff cars were expected to be really slow around the Monaco corners.
The reality is that, at least for now, the 2022 cars have only lost one second per lap. In the first two free practice sessions of the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc stopped the clock in 1:12.487 and 1:11,684 respectively.
This year, Charles Leclerc has been the fastest in both sessions with a time of 1:14.531 and 1:12,656 respectively. That is, only 0.972 seconds slower than the previous year.
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Eyes out of their sockets
Good example of all the evils of the cars of 2022 is the team Mercedeswhich has felt worse than anyone else with the new regulations and suffers more than any other rival from the negative effects of the changes.
The most striking of all is the dreaded pouring, which except for the Spanish Grand Prix has made life bitter for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at all times this year. And despite what was believed due to the low speed of this circuit, in Monaco things have gone even worse.
“First of all, it’s probably the bumpiest track I’ve ever driven on.. So that makes it difficult. But then, in general, our car is quite … it bounces a lot », he begins by explaining the seven-time world champion.
“It’s different, it’s a different rebound than what we’ve experienced in the past. Above all because it happens at low speed too, so it’s not aerodynamic. I think it’s the bumps on the track that make it worse, “reflects Hamilton, who nostalgically remembers the past times.
“I remember my first year here, with a light and agile car. it was so much better. But now we have these super heavy cars and the braking zones are different. It’s crazy that in 2022 the tracks aren’t smooth when they’ve been resurfaced. The technology is still against us.”
“Putting together the lap is difficult, but I think we made some improvements. And it’s not that it’s bad when you’re trying to put together a lap, the grip isn’t terrible. It’s just that your eyeballs pop out of their sockets.”Hamilton sentence.
Wheelies with front wheels
George Russell He has also been very graphic when describing what it is like to go around the Monte Carlo circuit with a Mercedes W13.
“There are sections where both tires lift,” notes the young Brit. “At Turn 5 (Mirabeau), the right front end is in the air, and it’s so stiff that even the left front end is also lifted off the ground. There are points where you almost do a wheelie because there are no front wheels on the ground.”.
“So it’s complicated. I don’t know what else we can do with the car. We are doing everything we can to try to make it a little easier for us and give us a little more confidence », he says hopefully.
“There are like 100 bumps on a single straight. I don’t know how it is for others, if they are experiencing the same as us or not. But it is the bumpiest roller coaster, ”concludes Russell, who finished Friday practice seventh, seven tenths off the best time of Charles Leclerc.