SLAMS!
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Good article. Keep in mind that journalists of articles donβt write their headlines. That is typically done by their editor.
It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
Energy management leads to amazing racing in FE and negates much of the dirty air driven boring processional races.
The first few races will likely be a bit chaotic but once the teams get on top of it all, the most talented drivers will be able to get ahead of less smart drivers in better cars.
I also think that what the drivers are experiencing at the moment is due to the teams having built their cars and started driving very close to the regulations. They havent really experimented with energy management yet. It's clear that drivers like Fernando, Lewis and Max dislike driving slow in the corners. So their teams will need to find ways to become faster in the corners and recharge the battery elsewhere, if they want their drivers to enjoy racing.
Verstappen makes mild comments about how the new regulations mean he doesnβt get to drive in his preferred styleβ¦
Even if we take your generous interpretation of what he said, is he wrong? It's pretty clear he can still be "fast" in the new car, but it doesn't mean he enjoys driving that way. There's nothing wrong with saying he doesn't enjoy the new regulations. Hamilton and Alonso both have given similar opinions and when the three most decorated drivers tell you it sucks maybe there's some truth here? Maybe the regulations have shifted too much from being fast to being energy efficient.
In a Dutch interview he said it's way slower. You're really twisting his words.
I wonder if increasing energy capacity would improve things and if the FIA could amend the regulation in that direction next year
My understanding of the regs is that giving more capacity doesn't really solve the problem because the problem isn't capacity, it's the recharging speed. You can deplete your battery on a straight and be fast but if the battery doesn't get recharged by the time you get to the same straight you're not going to be consistently fast. To be consistently fast the battery would need to be fully charged every time you want to use it. That's why you're seeing lift and coast. Not because they ran out of power but because lift and coast recharges the battery more. If the batteries would charge faster we'd probably have drivers complaining less about the cars.
Oh, I see. So my suggestion by itself wouldn't fix the problem Max describes.
My understanding of the regs is that giving more capacity doesnβt really solve the problem because the problem isnβt capacity, itβs the recharging speed.
But the teams wanted exactly that when they fought tooth and nail against front-axle recuperation out of fear that Audi would have some secret sauce there.
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