Two times World Champion Fernando Alonso is still not convinced that regulations made it any easier for the cars to overtake each other.
The new regulations brought changes for closer racing with the help of simpler aerodynamics in cars. Also, Pirelli introduced new 18 inch wheels that could improve durability and be less prone to overheating.
However, Pirelli has once again come under the limelight as and when the drivers are following each other closely, the tires were overheating.
“Tire is the biggest differentiating factor still” – Fernando Alonso
The Spaniard finished ninth in Bahrain which was satisfactory for Alpine. However, during his post-race interview, he revealed that the tires still remain the biggest differentiation and not the aerodynamics.
“I think the tire is the biggest differentiating factor still, not the following. So, we need to see, we need to drive more races,” he stated
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Describing how new tires were advantageous, he added: “I think all the overtaking we saw today was because one car had two seconds more pace on newer tires than others.”
“I met cars that I was two seconds faster [than] and I overtook in a few corners. And I also met cars that were two seconds faster than me and they overtook me in two or three corners,” he concluded discussing the tires.
Aerodynamic changes not helping the 2022 cars
Fernando Alonso also expressed his concern over the overtaking. He said the below after the Bahrain Grand Prix:
“Following was definitely easier. We spotted already in the test that it was easier to follow cars, but overtaking is still not as easy as it seems on TV.”
Esteban Ocon shared his opinion as well. He said that the car behind is “less affected by following another one”, however, the impact of DRS and splitstream was less effective and powerful.
Additional weight and tire management
George Russell and Lando Norris shared a similar distaste after the Bahrain Grand Prix in regards to the regulation changes. After finishing P4, Russell informed the media that the car felt massively different from within.
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Just like Alonso, he expressed: “It’s definitely not worse following. Bahrain’s always difficult because of the surface. The tires don’t seem to be a huge improvement on last year and we’re still sliding around quite a lot.”
Lando Norris finished an unexpected P15 and expressed his frustration regarding the car’s additional mass and tires. He informed the media how tires affected the downfall stating:
“When you get close, you still just slide at the rear as easy as you need to and you lose the front. The tires get hot, you just go off a cliff again.”
“I would say it’s a little bit better, but you still lose a lot of downforces. I’d say maybe not as much as everyone was hoping for,” he concluded.
