Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has warned that there could be big consequences if Formula 1 doesn't get on top of the drain cover issues that blighted two of the three days of official pre-season testing in Bahrain.
A cover came loose at turn 11 of the circuit early on Thursday, causing damage to the floor of Leclerc's car and leading to the curtailment of the morning session while track repairs were made.
There was a repeat of the problem on Friday morning, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez the one to sustain some light damage to the RB20 as a result of making contact with the debris.
It was all very reminiscent of the unfortunate start to least year's inaugural Las Vegas GP weekend, when a loose drain cover inflicted heavy damage on the car of Leclerc's team mate Carlos Sainz in FP1 and wreaked havoc on the schedule.
After testing was concluded, Leclerc said that the sport had to make sure local organisers were on top of such problems in future or there could be some major implications.
“It’s a serious issue because it can have big consequences,” Leclerc told the media. “We have to look into it for the future, for it to not happen again.
"We were quite lucky that it didn’t happen in a place and in a situation similar to Vegas, but in Vegas it was quite serious for Carlos," he said. “But I’m sure everybody is on it, and working on finding the best solution for that."
The issue was a big topic of conversation for all the drivers at the various official FIA press conferences held over the course of the week.
“Hopefully the FIA are on top of it, welding these things well in advance before us getting there,” said Lewis Hamilton. “Fortunately, it wasn’t like the bad the one that Carlos hit [in Vegas] but we’ve definitely got to be on top of it.”
The cause of the current spate of such problems could be the return of ground effect aerodynamics to the sport at the start of 2022.
This allows teams to design cars that can 'suck' themselves down to the ground to improve downforce and handling. But the vacuum formed under the car also means there is more upwards force exerted on the track underneath.
“For sure, with the ground effect cars, probably it’s a little bit worse,” said Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull team has been one of the most effective in exploiting ground effect in its car design.
“We know that this is a potential problem with these cars," he acknowledged. "So double-checking that everything is solid is a must for the upcoming tracks before you start driving in the weekend.
“But also it seems like we are driving in places that not a lot of other cars are going, in terms of opening up corners and stuff," he countered.
"When you go to certain tracks, you know where the drain covers are," he said. "Maybe these kinds of things can be checked a bit more.
"We don’t want another situation where cars get destroyed," he added, mindful of the cost implications as well as the safety issues involved. "Especially with the budget cap in place as well, it’s not nice when these things happen.”
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