Drivers expect difficult starts

The drivers will have to make much more difficult starts from the Belgian GP on August 23 since they will no longer benefit from aids to find the clutch point during starts. Competitors will also have to choose their own settings, which should offer some surprises when the lights go out.

" It's good ", comments Nico Rosberg. “It will make the starts even more interesting because we will have more control. Getting a good start will be even harder. These changes will bring many variables and it will become much more unpredictable. I hope to benefit from it. »

His teammate Lewis Hamilton is also aware that some drivers could benefit from this, while the Championship leader has won pole eight times in 9 Grands Prix contested this season. “We will always have the same responsibilities”, tempers the Briton. “The team can normally calculate the grip level on the grid and indicate the correct torque level… Many drivers will get bad starts."

Carlos Sainz Jr rather welcomes this restriction. "If they want the driver to have a bigger role to play when the lights go out, managing the engine mapping and different things like that, I think that's positive.", said the pilot Toro Rosso on the official F1 website. « If the pilot can make the difference by using his feelings, it is an idea that is more than welcome."

The Spaniard is still worried about having to carry out complex departure procedures without assistance. “We have to make it simpler because there are many parameters on the car. It would be difficult for a pilot to choose one setting from a hundred to find the most optimal one for the start”, said the rookie.