Some drivers have warned that falling behind and, therefore, overtaking has become more difficult again. However, the FIA sees no reason to panic, with the figures only slightly worse than in 2022 so far. This is due to dirty air behind the cars.
Despite complaints from several drivers, the FIA does not see any major problems. The numbers are a bit worse than in 2022, but there is not much difference. FIA sports chief Nikolas Tombazis sees no reason to panic.
"Some drivers may have had problems overtaking in one of the races. That may give the impression that it has become more difficult in general," Tombazis said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport. So he puts the problems down to the drivers.
Haas and Ferrari
Indeed, the FIA has found that two cars suffer slightly more from the effects of air turbulence than the rest. However, it does not say which ones. But Haas and Guenther Steiner do not beat around the bush, admitting it is their car and Ferrari's car that are struggling.
Haas engineers suspect it is because of the aerodynamic concept of the two cars. They are distinctly different from all the Red Bull copies in the field and therefore react differently to "dirty air". Incidentally, the Mercedes W14, which also occupies a special position, is the car that produces the least turbulence according to Formula 1 measurements, reported by AMuS.