Engineer Verstappen sees an important difference: "Then you know what to look for"

Originally Mugello was not on the calendar, but this weekend Formula 1 will drive on the Italian circuit. Because of the corona virus a lot of shifts had to be made and a large number of races were cancelled. As a result, new races had to be held at other locations. So one of those circuits is Mugello, a circuit that has never been on the calendar before.

However, the drivers who participated in Formula 1 in 2012 already have experience with an F1 car on the Italian circuit. In that year a number of test days were held in Mugello. The younger drivers have less experience with the circuit, but according to Gianpiero Lambiase, the race engineer of Max Verstappen, that shouldn't matter much.

Drivers' confidence important

“I think if they’ve been here in single-seaters then they will be up to speed immediately because there will be nuances in the track that may not be captured on the simulator”, explains Lambiase in a preview of Red Bull Racing. “It’ll be things like a kerb you can ride, or a little bump that upsets a car under braking.”

“Little details in the database that make them confident to hit the track running”. According to Lambiase, it is particularly important for drivers to gain that confidence. The team members will mainly focus on collecting data, as they will be driving on a new circuit this weekend.. “Beyond that, it’s more something for the drivers than for us in terms of track-learning. The rest we can simulate."