Did the first race of the 2022 Formula 1 season prove the drastic changes to the technical rules had succeeded in making it easier for drivers to overtake?
The response from the competitors was mixed. McLaren driver Lando Norris was among those who expressed disappointment at how hard it had been to pass other cars.
“It was tough,” he said. “It wasn’t as good as I was expecting, which is a bit frustrating. I was expecting a little bit more.”
Norris found that once he drew close to another car, the loss of grip meant his tyres overheated and he was no longer able to attack.
“When you get close you still just light up the rears, as easy as you need to, and you lose the front. The tyres get hot, you just go off a cliff again.” He said the changes had made racing only “a little bit better.”
“You see how much of a train everyone was in at the beginning, there’s a bit more fighting then normal. But you still lose a lot of downforce. I would say maybe not as much as what…