What is going on with Ferrari and will Verstappen quit? F1 Q&A

2 weeks ago 4 min read 15
Sincity Press Brief

BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions after the Canadian Grand Prix.

Do you honestly deliberation Max volition discontinue F1 astatine the extremity of the play if the motor changes aren't coming? - Paddy

There is nary questioning the information that Max Verstappen is being genuine erstwhile helium says helium doesn't deliberation helium tin look different twelvemonth driving the cars arsenic they are.

In Montreal, helium made it beauteous wide that helium does not fancy sticking astir if the motor rules don't change. "It's conscionable mentally not doable for maine to enactment similar this," helium said. "It's truly not."

After the race, helium admitted helium had "enjoyed a lot" his conflict with Hamilton. But helium besides expanded connected wherefore helium doesn't similar the caller cars or, much precisely, the caller engines, with their request for changeless vigor management.

Verstappen said that racing successful the Nurburgring 24 Hours had reminded him "how axenic motorsport tin be".

In F1, this year, helium said: "For me, portion driving, it's each a spot confusing. It's not what Formula 1 should beryllium about. It's mode excessively complex.

"Most of the rules, the fans don't adjacent cognize what we are dealing with portion driving, what is allowed erstwhile you're down oregon erstwhile you're the car ahead, what we person to bash connected a enactment thigh oregon what we person to bash successful an out-lap, oregon however overmuch artillery that we're allowed to charge.

"It's conscionable specified a shame that we person to woody with each these things. F1 conscionable needs to beryllium much axenic and I truly anticipation that what they effort to bash [for] adjacent twelvemonth volition spell done due to the fact that I deliberation that is necessary, the minimum necessary, to marque it a spot much earthy and a spot much backmost to normal, oregon astatine slightest a spot much axenic racing.

"As drivers, springiness america immoderate benignant of car, we'll ever contention and springiness bully amusement oregon a bully show. Doesn't substance that radical say, 'Oh, but look now, the amusement is great, the cars were fighting.' But it has thing to bash with the car. It conscionable needs to beryllium much pure."

Verstappen is the astir outspoken, but each the drivers fundamentally consciousness the aforesaid way.

Antonelli said aft the contention that "still sometimes it triggers you a small spot however the strategy works".

And Hamilton said: "It inactive continues to beryllium a weird feeling", adding: "You spell connected the power, you unfastened up the [straight-line mode], and past the powerfulness dies halfway down the consecutive and the RPM starts dropping.

"It doesn't consciousness what motorsport should be. The motor should beryllium ringing its cervix close to the extremity of the consecutive and conscionable pulling and pulling."

Verstappen is referring to the existent effort by F1 bosses to alteration the divided betwixt interior combustion and electrical powerfulness to 60:40 adjacent twelvemonth alternatively than the nominal 50:50 (in world astir 54:46) astatine the moment.

This is apt to beryllium done by expanding the fuel-flow limit, and would trim the request for vigor management, particularly successful qualifying, and marque the driving much "on the limit" again.

The regulators besides person a accidental to code immoderate of the peculiarities of the caller rules which are making the cars and engines highly hard to grip connected warm-up laps due to the fact that of the request not to spell implicit a peculiar vigor limit.

I won't spell into that present due to the fact that it's incredibly analyzable - but erstwhile you perceive astir what the drivers are having to do, the absorption is to scratch your caput and wonderment however connected world F1 ended up successful this mess.

Although the FIA said much than 2 weeks agone that determination was an "agreement successful principle" connected the 60:40 move, determination has truthful acold not been capable enactment from motor manufacturers for the changes to spell through.

However, bosses are trying to thin connected the companies opposed - Ferrari, Audi, Honda and Cadillac. And determination is anticipation that an agreement, with suitable compromises addressing the concerns of, particularly, Ferrari and Audi, tin beryllium reached this week.

It's worthy mentioning that the rules person had immoderate superficial positives, chiefly to bash with racing.

The caller cars are lighter, smaller, and much nimble. And 'overtake mode' - which gives a car down an other 0.5MJ of electrical vigor per thigh if wrong a 2nd of the car successful beforehand - has led to the multi-lap battles successful which cars walk and repass a fig of times that person go a diagnostic of this year's racing.

The anticipation is to beryllium capable to clasp this portion addressing the concerns astir the mode the caller engines person negatively affected the purity of driving.

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