Max Verstappen says F1's new-spec cars are now more "controllable" when running in the wake of another car, and no longer suffer from sudden moments of understeer or oversteer.
The primary objective of Formula 1's new regulations was to spawn a new generation of cars where the use of ground effects minimizes the amount of dirty air spiraling in a car's wake, thus allowing drivers to follow each other more closely in corners which in turn should improve wheel-to-wheel action.
While next weekend's season opening Bahrain Grand Prix will put the new cars to their first full-scale test, Verstappen believes the rules are fulfilling their initial objective based on a few moments in pre-season testing when he had the opportunity to run in the wake of another car.
"I do think it is better," said the Red Bull charger. "It's at least better than last year, when if you got behind someone, you suddenly got understeer or a lot of oversteer. It was uncontrollable.
"When I'm behind a car now, I do notice that I'm losing downforce, but that happens front and rear. So that makes it more predictable and controllable for drivers."
F1's radical new approach to aerodynamics coupled with the increase in overall weight of the new cars and the introduction of 18-inch wheels have required drivers to adapt their driving style.
But Verstappen doesn't feel that the sport's new machines are any more difficult to master than their predecessors. But the fun behind the wheel is likely to be circuit dependent.
"It also depends on the balance of the car of course," said the reigning world champion. "If you had a lot of understeer or oversteer last year, it was difficult to drive that car as well.
"Driving any car on the limit is difficult, so I think it's pretty much the same.
"These cars are a lot slower in the slow corners because they are a lot heavier. On a track with a lot of slow corners, it will be less fun for us to drive.
"But if we go to circuits with a lot of fast corners, it really is a fun car to drive."
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