As well as seeing how competitive the new ground effect Formula 1 single-seaters are, the drivers were keen to find out to what extent their driving style needed to change. Carlos Sainz tells us about it.
The new single-seaters Formula 1 of 2022 have already completed three days of preseason and both teams and drivers can get an idea of what they are going to find in this new regulatory era.
The ground effect cars with 18-inch wheels they are already the present, so the drivers have to reset everything they learned over the years to reinvent themselves and make the most of their potential.
Carlos Sainz, one of the hardest-working pilots in the paddockhas offered his impressions on the changes he has noticed with the new cars, the Ferrari F1-75 in your case.
Relearn to fly
“I am quite enjoying the whole process of adapting, pushing it to the limit and seeing how the car reacts to different situations. There are pretty big differences, but our muscle memory adapts very quickly. That process of learning and challenge is very fun for us, excitingbecause it’s unlike anything else I’ve done before.”
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“It differs in quite a few things. We can slide a little more, before you hit the steering wheel and made the curvenow it seems that we can play a little more with the cars ».
“Last year’s cars were designed to go in a straight line. They had a lot of downforce, but when you lost the car it went completely away. This does allow you to play a little more with the car in general, at the entrance and exit of the curve.and I want to adapt to that, it’s fun ».
The visibility
Another point of debate has been the issue of visibility, which many anticipated would worsen with the larger tires. However, Carlos Sainz temper the situation.
«Right now the only thing that affects is stopping on the starting grid, not seeing your box and starting two meters behind where you think you are starting. We will have to find a solution because right now we have no idea where we are stopping”.
“We don’t see anything in five meters around us, but ahead we see everything even a little better than last year. They are the pontoons, more than the wheels».
The renewal
On a more personal level, Carlos Sainz has also been asked about the course of his renewal by ferrariwhich the team itself has stated that it wants to resolve as soon as possible.
«The renewal there goes. I said it last year and I repeat it again, that I trust the project 100% and I think Ferrari trusts me too. It did not depend on testing the car or not because I trust, and the fact that we have reached the tests does not mean anything, but that it is being negotiated and progress is being made.
Photos: Scuderia Ferrari