Can 2022 Cars Really Follow Each Other Closely?

One of the main objectives behind the new regulations for 2022 was to improve overtaking by allowing cars to be able to follow each other closely. The ongoing pre-season test has seen drivers getting the opportunity to test this out and some of them have given their verdicts as quoted by F1’s official website

Link to poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxWg3WNwlV6XNYmA5vkWrlASP_kcsgULg9
0:00 - Can 2022 Cars Really Follow Each Other Closely?
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Can 2022 Cars Really Follow Each Other Closely?

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen began with a positive assessment

“I have been following a few cars, it seems a little bit easier to stay behind. At least you don’t have these weird corners where you suddenly have understeer or a mass of oversteer”

“I don’t expect it to be fully gone where you can follow [right behind] the rear diffuser – at least not at the speeds we are still doing in F1 – but it all seems a bit more under control”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc seemed to concur

“I tried, it felt a bit better until you get really, really close. Then you obviously feel the loss of downforce a bit”

His teammate Carlos Sainz was seen deliberately trailing multiple cars. He revealed his thoughts next to sum up

“We did that on purpose, obviously, and I can tell you I already felt some differences – it’s pretty obvious already, and I’m relatively positive about it”
Fast Feed

For Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton “it’s been an interesting few days”

“It's not been the easiest or smoothest running. We have had some obstacles to overcome”

“You never [know] on the first week. We have no idea where we are”

His teammate George Russell added that “lap time-wise, I don’t think it’s representative at all”

“Even though we are top of the timesheets, I wouldn’t read too much into it”

“We have some improvements to make, as we’re not fully happy with the balance of the car and the limitations we have currently”

For Red Bull’s Max Verstappen “everything worked well in the running [they] got and the car felt good”

“I don’t pay attention to the lap times just yet, I will look into that when we get into Q3 in Bahrain”

McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo stated that “I think I speak for all the drivers, in testing you just really don’t know what everyone is doing”

“In any case, Red Bull and Mercedes haven’t shown anything yet, so we’ll see what happens when that opens more”

“For now, the focus is mainly on ourselves. We have driven a lot of laps, the reliability is good and I feel comfortable in the car”

Williams driver Alex Albon confessed that “there is the inevitable rustiness, the year out, the lack of driving quick machines”

“You can train all you want, but you still get that morning ache when you wake up. It’s mainly the neck you feel the next day”

“In terms of driving, it’s there but actually, it’s more learning the car, learning the new team. It’s a completely different driving style to what I am used to, but I am trying to learn that”
Will there be any surprises in the final results of the season-opening Bahrain GP?

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