"It's one of those things you get used to" - F1 drivers feel visibility in the 2022 cars is 'definitely worse' than in the past
F1 drivers feel visibility is 'definitely worse' in the new 2022 cars and is something they will need to get accustomed to as time progresses.
The sport introduced a technical and regulatory overhaul ahead of the current season to make the sport a more level playing field between all teams.
With a heavier chassis, lower ride height, and stiffer suspension in the new cars, drivers have voiced their concern about visibility since the first pre-season shakedown in Barcelona.
With the Monaco GP looming on the horizon, reporters wanted to know if their visibility had improved since the late February test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and what it could mean for the race in the Principality. Haas driver Kevin Magnussen led the answers, saying:
“The visibility is worse in these cars than in the past. I don’t think it’s going to be a massive issue. It’s going to be harder to sort of see the apex but I think it’s going to be okay.”
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll added to the Dane's comments, saying:
“Yeah, I mean, the visibility is definitely worse. It’s one of those things you get used to. So it will be a bit more challenging for sure than previous years. But yeah, I think it’s become something I’ve gotten used to over the first few races.”
"I look forward to it" - McLaren's Lando Norris eager for 2022 F1 Monaco GP
Despite an obvious optical handicap from the new cars, McLaren driver Lando Norris is still eager to go racing at the Monaco GP at the end of the month.
During the aforementioned press conference ahead of the 2022 F1 Spanish GP, the Briton said:
“I look forward to it, first of all. I think it’s going to be probably one of the biggest challenges so far, with how you’re going to have to run the car and so on. But yeah, everyone is in the same boat. So, yeah, we’ll see. I mean, it was a good race for me there last year, to score podium and to be P4 and two tenths off in qualifying was much better, a lot, lot better than we expected. So, I’m hoping this year we can try and do something similar but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Williams driver Alex Albon also chimed in to say:
“I think it’s going to be one of those tracks where we are going to be quite a lot slower than previous years, I imagine. But it’ll be interesting. I think it’s there’ll be a little bit more of knowing how to ride the curves and a bit more of a rhythm and finding where the bumps are. So, it will add a bit more character to the circuit.”
The race in the Principality has been a perennial fixture on the F1 calendar for decades and Michael Boeri, president of the Automobile Club de Monaco, has guaranteed that won't change anytime soon.