F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Verstappen: Teams that got regs wrong will continue to play catch up

Max Verstappen says that a year on from Formula 1's regulations overhaul, those teams that got the rules wrong in 2022 will likely still be playing catch-up this season.

Red Bull and Ferrari's new-generation cars enjoyed a clear lead over their rivals at the start of last year's campaign, while Mercedes' ground-effect W13 was crippled by chronic porpoising issues.

The aerodynamic phenomenon was a wide-spread problem up and down the field, but impacted the Brackley squad more severely although Mercedes' engineers eventually succeeded in mitigating the issue over the summer.

However, despite each teams' progress in exploiting the regs, Verstappen suggests that last year's laggards will still be at a disadvantage in 2023.

"You see this when the regulations change and some teams hit it spot on," Verstappen told Viaplay.

"Once you hit it spot on and you know what you are doing, you more or less work from there and you make small steps.

"But when you get it wrong, you really have to reinvent and try again and you're always behind and then you have to try and catch up."

F1's two-time world champion pointed to his own team's past difficulties as a case study on the matter.

"You saw that with us in that it took a few years [to challenge Mercedes]," added the Dutchman.

"We didn't have a good engine but once we had that sorted out, we worked on the car and once you bring all that together, you are finally more or less there, but it took us a few years.

"Maybe with these regulations, it is less complex but you are still on the backfoot and you need to catch up.

"But while they tried to catch up, we're also trying to improve, so that's what we have to try and keep doing and hopefully show that again [in 2023]."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

11 mins ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

15 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

16 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

18 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

19 hours ago

Back when Kimi knew exactly what he was doing

Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…

21 hours ago