Silverstone will highlight ‘big differences’ in 2022 cars

Heading to the fast Silverstone with its long corners, Lando Norris says the drivers will notice a “big difference” when it comes to this year’s cars compared to yesteryear’s.

Introducing all-new cars this season, the 2022 models designed around ground effect aerodynamics, Formula 1 had hoped to level the playing field and create closer racing as this year’s cars give off a cleaner wake.

That, though, does still seem to be track dependent.

While the first three races of the season set the stage alight, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen racing wheel-to-wheel for the lead, albeit with DRS in play, the Dutchman’s recent dominance has taken the shine off the season.

However, further behind Formula 1’s midfield has produced some great racing and Norris believes that will be highlighted at Silverstone.

“Silverstone is always just a great weekend itself,” he said as per Motorsport.com, “Formula 1 cars around Silverstone are always spectacular.

“I think racing this year has also been generally better. Maybe not so much at, let’s say, tracks purely with long straights.

“But tracks where you’ve got these longer corners, such as Silverstone, I think that’s where you see the big differences compared to previous years.

“I’m hoping that will stack up and prove to be better racing, more enjoyable.”

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton agrees.

“Silverstone is still one of the best circuits, if not the best,” said the Mercedes driver, “in the sense of having all the medium and high-speed corners, and the high-speed corners are always the most fun to drive,” Hamilton said.

“With these cars that we have today, I mean, if you look at Barcelona we had bouncing in the high-speed corners, so it might not be spectacular, but I’m hoping by then we may have fixed it. But we will see.

“I think for all of us, it is going to be amazing. And we also can follow a little bit closer this year. So hopefully the race will be better.”

But for Hamilton this season there is always a but, and that is but how will his W13 deal with bouncing at the circuit.

The Briton has no idea.

“We’re better in medium and high-speed corners, probably, than we are in the low-speed corners, but we have bouncing,” Hamilton said.

“So I don’t know how it’s going to be through Copse and all those places. It’ll be interesting for us there. [I’m] really excited to get back to the UK.”