Zoom Passing still dependant on a driver error

Some have claimed that the decision to permit the use of double diffusers this year has undone the work carried out ahead of the season with the raft of rule changes aimed at making passing a little easier.

Last time out at Silverstone Nick Heidfeld suffered minor damage to the front wing on his BMW Sauber. Despite lapping several seconds off the pace, Lewis Hamilton was still unable to find a way to pass the BMW Sauber.

“When it comes to overtaking maybe we had expected a bit more from the new regulations,” admits BMW Sauber Team Principal Mario Theissen. “In the area of cost-saving, I think the progress has pretty much met expectations. The aero restrictions we currently have, however are not as tight as we thought they would be, so I think we could do more.”

While the field remains close in qualifying, the adoption of adjustable front wings has not aided passing while KERS has been all but abandoned.

On a more positive note, the return of slick tyres this year has gone down well with spectators and competitors alike. However, the rules this year state that non-sequential compounds must be used at all but the Monaco Grand Prix and this has created difficulties.

“The most difficult thing about slicks is the fact that there is a big difference this year between the prime and option tyres,” Robert Kubica explained. “Sometimes a compound works really badly, but the rules specify that we must use it in a race. We try to run a very short stint with this tyre of tyre.”

“Generally speaking, it is more fun driving on slicks,” he continued. “The front tyres in particular seem to provide more grip and move less, which allows the car to react more directly.”

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International