With the debacle at Spa still fresh in our minds, the following question has been popping up in the heads of many Formula 1 experts: Is it at all possible anymore, with a modern Formula 1 car, to race safely in the rain? Experienced racing drivers Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso gave their opinion on the matter today, and they are of the firm opinion that it is not.
Asked for his take on the matter, the German stated, "I think the cars have changed." This has a twofold cause, as Vettel explains to Motorsport.com. "I think there's significantly more ground effect with the cars that we have now, and more downforce. We seem to suck more water off the ground."
Vettel continued, "I think the extreme wet tyres that we had, I remember those days made it easier for us to race in very, very wet conditions with a lot of water on the track."
Alonso agrees
Alonso joins his colleague's view. He sees the changes in tyre composition as the biggest culprit. Alonso: "Tyres is the biggest thing that changed over the years. I think the cars, for whatever reason, or the new aerodynamic rules, they have more spray when you are running behind people, and our tyres are wider now than what they were in 2007."