What
variations in
driving styleand tactics
do you need
to considerwhen you are
faced withracing a bad
or slow F1car, and how
does thatcompare with
a fast one?
PRO
RACING03 Performance: Driving
HOW TO DRIVE
A BAD F1 CAR
34 F1 RACING AUGUST 2019When you consider Formula 1comprises 20 of the best
drivers in the world, it’s natural most of them havewon
championships during their ascent to the top, or at least won
races during that climb. They are allused to winning, but
as soon as they hitF1, rookie drivers must, at least usually,
contend with something new to them: a bad racing car.
Last season, British driver George Russell won seven
races on his way to the Formula 2 title. But now, in a
Williams rooted to the back of the grid, he finds himself
regularly being lapped. The hunter has become the hunted...
“Russell isn’t designed to be looking in his mirror, getting
out of theway efficiently,” says former F1 driver Anthony
Davidson. “It’s not the reason he’s in F1, he’s here because
he’s a winner. That’s what he’s trained to do. But now, as
he’s beinglapped – and I’ve felt it too – youfeel like a spare
part at oneof the most exclusive sporting events inthe
world. It’s unjustified and unfair.”
Switching from a decent car to a recalcitrant one brings a
new set of challenges for the driver. If a machine is difficult
to pilot, usually the first step is toengineer a little more
understeer into the car. While that won’t make it faster
over one lap, it will reduce the chances of making an error,
therefore costingless laptime over the course of a race.
“Also, in a bad car, youhave to focus on t he mirrors
more,” continues Davidson, who started 24F1 races –two
for Minardi, onefor BAR-Hondaand 21 for Supe r Ag uri.
“In a fast car your eyesare only facing forwards.It’s rare you
have to lookin the mirror, except in a racing situation.
“In a bad car you have a responsibility to not hold up the
leaders and get into trouble with the stewards, while also
not losing time yourself when getting lapped.”
In principle, backmarkers would prefer to yield under
braking for a corner, as to ease off on the exit compromises
their speed forthe duration of the following straight.
Equally, drivers needto consider that some circuits have
excessive tyre marbles offline, which can cause extra
punishment whenthey move aside for quicker cars.
As well as managing the pressures of running at the tail
of the field, drivers must also combat thedifficulties in
controlling ill-handlingcars. But how exactly how does a bad
car differ compared to being in thecockpit of a good one?
“The biggest issuewith a slow car is stability under
braking,” says Johnny Herbert, who drove a variety of
machinery – from tail-enders to race winners – across his
decade-longF1 career. “When you brake, normally the
downforce compresses the tyres intothe track, so you can
lean on it andturn in very, very hard. But actually, with a
bad car what happens is the rear of the car starts to move
around and you get oversteer. Then you slide, there’s a lack
of grip andthen poor traction when you pull out of a corner.
“You are always on that fine line of making a mistake.
They are bad because they are not forgiving. TheJaguar R1
I drove at the end of my career was nasty piece. It used toPICTURESWORDS
JAMESROBERTSPICTURE:GARETH HARFORD