Gregson Mathe
Formula 1 cars underwent quite a few changes from last season. You can see all of them outlined by clicking right here. In case you’d like to see what the changes are here, this video can explain just how drastic they are.
According to onboard telemetry for the new cars, drivers hit a scarcely believable 8Gs (!!!) during the first qualifying session of the season. From Motor 1:
While shy of the much-touted five-second improvement over 2016 lap speeds, the cornering forces generated by the new cars raised plenty of eyebrows in the paddock.
“The cars are brutal to drive – we are not far from 8G with the peak in high corners – so it is pretty good fun,” said Haas driver Romain Grosjean. “But it is hard on the body, it is hard on parts, it is hard on the cars.
“You better not miss the turning point on some places. The speed we go through the corners is insane compared to the past. You need to be more precise, more accurate, more on it, and the body gets a pretty tough time into some corners so it could be.”
The news cars sure are fun to watch. Here’s Lewis Hamilton’s pole position qualifying lap. Take a look at how bonkers fast it seems.
Hamilton’s lap was a track record. This is shades of the Senna era on board videos. Back then, cameras were not nearly as advanced as they are today. Because of this, everything looked manic, crazy fast, and out of control. While the above video doesn’t look nearly as primitive as the old videos, I got the same sensation as I did watching both. Everything seems elevated in a way that I cannot fully comprehend right now. Hamilton was bouncing all over the place, his head going back and forth, up and down, side to side. The strain seemed enormous, the effort extreme.
Given the outcome of the Australian GP and how much the sport has changed presumably for the better since last season, this could be a season for the ages. And the cars even sound a bit better.
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