Latest news with #overtaking
Daily Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
F1 2025: ‘Impossible' overtaking problem and ‘gimmick' that can't fix it
Don't miss out on the headlines from F1. Followed categories will be added to My News. There's no way around it, Formula One has an overtaking problem. Monaco's place on the F1 calendar once again came under question last weekend, with a mandatory second pit stop failing to shake-up the race. Monaco is the jewel in F1's crown but it's difficult to escape the reality that the race on Sunday is a dull procession decided by Saturday's qualifying session — the most important of the year. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. 'At a place like Monaco it's just you might as well have the race Saturday in qualifying and then park up for Sunday because it's impossible to pass,' Supercars legend Mark Skaife told But it's not just Monaco where F1 is confronted with its biggest dilemma. Max Verstappen's gutsy lunge past Oscar Piastri on the first lap at Imola was impressive for its bravery, but also necessary given the rest of the race became more about tyre management than overtaking opportunities. F1 has a big overtaking problem. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) Overtaking is nearly impossible in the current cars, which are 2 metres wide. Under F1's new regulations for 2026, F1 cars will be 100mm narrower as part of an effort to make the cars smaller and more agile. 'The cars are so big now, that's the issue,' Skaife said. 'If you look through the history of Formula One, the cars were comparatively really small. 'Through the modern era of car changes, the hybrid era and through the physicality of the cars, an unintended consequence has been the cars have become so large. 'It was even apparent at Imola. It's a traditional racecourse with grass verges and all that stuff. You could tell straight away at Imola without the extreme nature of Monaco that the cars being so big is a real issue for the overtaking. 'Obviously that then puts the emphasis on qualifying being paramount to success.' Michael Schumacher's old Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello agrees, telling PokerStrategy: 'With Piastri and Norris, it's an open competition between the two and Piastri has the upper hand. 'Whoever gets on pole of the race has a 51 per cent chance of winning with their car. They spend most of their time practising race starts, because it's so important to get in front.' F1 is a business, but quality of racing is paramount F1 has never been more popular and is a commercial behemoth right now, valued at $US 17 billion ($26 billion). This week F1 unveiled another major sponsor in Pepsi, complete with an unexpected Daniel Ricciardo sighting. But Skaife believes the quality of racing is not as good as it could be, highlighting the choice of circuits on the F1 calendar as a major dilemma. 'As rule makers, one of the intentions should be that the quality of your racing is tantamount to the success of the game,' the five-time Supercars champion said. 'So you've got all the personalities, you've got all the car brands, you've got Cadillac/General Motors coming, you've got Audi coming next year. 'The sport is in great shape. But one of the things that I'm sure the powers-that-be would be considering is what do the cars look like in five years' time and what do you need to change? 'Because you can't change the infrastructure. You can't just go and fix Monaco tomorrow. It is impossible to overtake on Monaco's street circuit. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / POOL / AFP) 'And you can't fix a lot of the traditional circuits. I know there's been a lot of controversy about this in recent times, but I'm a real fan of the really hardcore proper car racing tracks. 'Places like Spa. There's a lot of conjecture about whether Spa will end up being knocked on the head. 'And places like Suzuka, there's so many really cool racetracks. 'Verstappen and the drivers were talking about Imola being a really cool little racetrack and it is. 'So you've always got this complex nature of who's prepared to pay, what market are you in?Where do you go? 'Miami now has a long-term contract. There's always been a difficulty for Formula One to get into the US market and clearly they're pushing hard with that. 'So when you then think about it from a business perspective, you are still a car racing business and the car racing is the pinnacle of world motorsport. 'There will be a lot of discussion around what the cars look like in the future and how do you make the racing as good as it can be, especially from an overtaking perspective.' The McLaren driver that dominates qualifying will likely win the F1 championship. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The F1 calendar is in a state of flux for next year, with several European circuits including Imola in Italy and Spa in Belgium set to be ditched from the schedule as part of a rotating policy. Piastri has said it would be a shame for the iconic tracks to disappear from the calendar. 'It's a great circuit,' Piastri said of Imola earlier this month. 'I've only raced here once before, but it's definitely towards the top end of my favourites. 'OK, maybe it's not the best track to race on — not the best for overtaking — but in terms of the ultimate experience of driving an F1 car, this is at the top of the list. We need to be mindful of that. 'Having two races in the same country, with how many bids we have from around the world, maybe doesn't make that much sense anymore. And when you have Monza as your second race in Italy, it's pretty hard not to go to Monza. There'd be some riots if we didn't! 'So for me, we just need to be careful to preserve the history. Zandvoort is going, Spa is going to be on rotation, which I'm not the happiest about. 'We just need to be careful not to lose these historical tracks.' The iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, Belgium could soon be gone from the F1 calendar. (Photo by Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP) F1 'gimmick' isn't the answer The Drag Reduction System, where the rear wing opens to boost straight-line speed, was introduced into F1 in 2011 in a bid to improve overtaking. But in recent years there have gradually been less memorable overtakes like Ricciardo's trademark dive-bombs or Lewis Hamilton's double overtake at Silverstone in 2022. 'I mean really DRS is a gimmick for overtaking,' Skaife said. 'You've got this system, this aero system, to assist with overtaking if you've actually got cars that can follow each other closely. 'That's was what the mandate of the current regulations were you know everyone was saying 'oh you'll be able to follow more closely'. There are growing calls to make F1 cars smaller. (Photo by) 'But it's essential to have a policy around how much aero the cars have got and how close can you drive behind the car in front. 'Firstly it's about how much downforce you have when you're in the dirty air behind another car. 'That's the core value of being able to overtake another car and have aero efficiency that's good enough in the dirty air to be able to get a run out of a corner, slipstream the car in front, and be able to pass. 'But the other part of it is that the lead car, the car that's in front, has to have enough drag. 'It pays a penalty for leading. So the car behind has less drag, that's the reality of the car in front having to push the air. 'And if you've got less lift to drag ratio, so you actually want more drag on the cars, that would then have an effect of being able to pass on a straight line.' Watch every practice and qualifying session of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, including the race on Sunday at 11pm AEST on Kayo Sports. Originally published as 'It's impossible': F1's massive problem exposed and 'gimmick' that can't fix it
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
‘It's impossible': F1's massive problem exposed and ‘gimmick' that can't fix it
There's no way around it, Formula One has an overtaking problem. Monaco's place on the F1 calendar once again came under question last weekend, with a mandatory second pit stop failing to shake-up the race. Monaco is the jewel in F1's crown but it's difficult to escape the reality that the race on Sunday is a dull procession decided by Saturday's qualifying session — the most important of the year. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. 'At a place like Monaco it's just you might as well have the race Saturday in qualifying and then park up for Sunday because it's impossible to pass,' Supercars legend Mark Skaife told But it's not just Monaco where F1 is confronted with its biggest dilemma. Max Verstappen's gutsy lunge past Oscar Piastri on the first lap at Imola was impressive for its bravery, but also necessary given the rest of the race became more about tyre management than overtaking opportunities. Overtaking is nearly impossible in the current cars, which are 2 metres wide. Under F1's new regulations for 2026, F1 cars will be 100mm narrower as part of an effort to make the cars smaller and more agile. 'The cars are so big now, that's the issue,' Skaife said. 'If you look through the history of Formula One, the cars were comparatively really small. 'Through the modern era of car changes, the hybrid era and through the physicality of the cars, an unintended consequence has been the cars have become so large. 'It was even apparent at Imola. It's a traditional racecourse with grass verges and all that stuff. You could tell straight away at Imola without the extreme nature of Monaco that the cars being so big is a real issue for the overtaking. 'Obviously that then puts the emphasis on qualifying being paramount to success.' Michael Schumacher's old Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello agrees, telling PokerStrategy: 'With Piastri and Norris, it's an open competition between the two and Piastri has the upper hand. 'Whoever gets on pole of the race has a 51 per cent chance of winning with their car. They spend most of their time practising race starts, because it's so important to get in front.' F1 is a business, but quality of racing is paramount F1 has never been more popular and is a commercial behemoth right now, valued at $US 17 billion ($26 billion). This week F1 unveiled another major sponsor in Pepsi, complete with an unexpected Daniel Ricciardo sighting. But Skaife believes the quality of racing is not as good as it could be, highlighting the choice of circuits on the F1 calendar as a major dilemma. 'As rule makers, one of the intentions should be that the quality of your racing is tantamount to the success of the game,' the five-time Supercars champion said. 'So you've got all the personalities, you've got all the car brands, you've got Cadillac/General Motors coming, you've got Audi coming next year. 'The sport is in great shape. But one of the things that I'm sure the powers-that-be would be considering is what do the cars look like in five years' time and what do you need to change? 'Because you can't change the infrastructure. You can't just go and fix Monaco tomorrow. 'And you can't fix a lot of the traditional circuits. I know there's been a lot of controversy about this in recent times, but I'm a real fan of the really hardcore proper car racing tracks. 'Places like Spa. There's a lot of conjecture about whether Spa will end up being knocked on the head. 'And places like Suzuka, there's so many really cool racetracks. 'Verstappen and the drivers were talking about, you might be a really cool little racetrack and it is. So you've always got this complex nature of who's prepared to pay, what market are you in? 'Where do you go? Miami now has a long-term contract. There's always been a difficulty for Formula One to get into the US market and clearly they're pushing hard with that. 'So when you then think about it from a business perspective, you are still a car racing business and the car racing is the pinnacle of world motorsport. 'There will be a lot of discussion around what the cars look like in the future and how do you make the racing as good as it can be, especially from an overtaking perspective.' The F1 calendar is in a state of flux for next year, with several European circuits including Imola in Italy and Spa in Belgium set to be ditched from the schedule as part of a rotating policy. Piastri has said it would be a shame for the iconic tracks to disappear from the calendar. 'It's a great circuit,' Piastri said of Imola earlier this month. 'I've only raced here once before, but it's definitely towards the top end of my favourites. 'OK, maybe it's not the best track to race on — not the best for overtaking — but in terms of the ultimate experience of driving an F1 car, this is at the top of the list. We need to be mindful of that. 'Having two races in the same country, with how many bids we have from around the world, maybe doesn't make that much sense anymore. And when you have Monza as your second race in Italy, it's pretty hard not to go to Monza. There'd be some riots if we didn't! 'So for me, we just need to be careful to preserve the history. Zandvoort is going, Spa is going to be on rotation, which I'm not the happiest about. 'We just need to be careful not to lose these historical tracks.' F1 'gimmick' isn't the answer The Drag Reduction System, where the rear wing opens to boost straight-line speed, was introduced into F1 in 2011 in a bid to improve overtaking. But in recent years there have gradually been less memorable overtakes like Ricciardo's trademark dive-bombs or Lewis Hamilton's double overtake at Silverstone in 2022. 'I mean really DRS is a gimmick for overtaking,' Skaife said. 'You've got this system, this aero system, to assist with overtaking if you've actually got cars that can follow each other closely. 'That's was what the mandate of the current regulations were you know everyone was saying 'oh you'll be able to follow more closely'. 'But it's essential to have a policy around how much aero the cars have got and how close can you drive behind the car in front. 'Firstly it's about how much downforce you have when you're in the dirty air behind another car. 'That's the core value of being able to overtake another car and have aero efficiency that's good enough in the dirty air to be able to get a run out of a corner, slipstream the car in front, and be able to pass. 'But the other part of it is that the lead car, the car that's in front, has to have enough drag. 'It pays a penalty for leading. So the car behind has less drag, that's the reality of the car in front having to push the air. 'And if you've got less lift to drag ratio, so you actually want more drag on the cars, that would then have an effect of being able to pass on a straight line.'
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
F1 team heads call for Monaco to ‘move with the times' and make track change
Formula One team principals have called for layout changes to be considered at the Monaco Grand Prix to address the inability of cars to overtake after efforts to enliven the race with mandatory pit stops fell flat on Sunday. McLaren's Lando Norris took victory in Monte Carlo and was, despite the two pit-stop rule, in control throughout, Only two passes were made on track in 78 laps and drivers including Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who finished fourth, and Mercedes' George Russell, who was 11th, dismissed the rule change as all but pointless. The Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, believed the most important change that was required was to alter the layout to create one area where overtaking was at least feasible. 'The fundamental problem is you cannot overtake here,' he said. 'The cars are so big now that you just don't have a chance to get alongside. It's circuit specific, we've known that, it's been on the calendar for 72 years. Everything has to move with the times ultimately. 'It's an iconic and historic circuit but if you look at how Monaco has changed, how much land they've reclaimed into the sea, I don't think you'd need to do too much. There just needs to be one area where you can have an overtake and everybody knows that coming here the race was pretty much done on Saturday. We've introduced another dynamic with the pit stop, which, ultimately for the top 10, other than the retirement, nobody really changed position.' READ MORE The race was marked by the leading teams matching each other through the pit stops and the absence of a safety car or red flag to bring an element of chance into proceedings. Further back, teams applied teamwork between drivers to create pit window gaps that involved deliberately driving slowly to the infuriation of others who were left impotent in a train on track. Very few were satisfied with the outcome. Norris said it had created jeopardy by the risk of mere fortune deciding the result rather than in the form of actual racing. 'There's not been any more overtaking here. I thought that was what was wanted,' he said. 'Now you just give people opportunity by luck, by waiting for a red flag, waiting for a safety car. You aren't getting a more deserved winner in the end of things.' The race organisers, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), believe that changing the track layout is all but impossible but Norris's team principal, Andrea Stella, suggested it was worth bringing into the equation. 'We should praise that Formula One and the FIA made an attempt to improve racing,' he said. 'The main limitation remains the fact that you cannot overtake and this is quite structural as a limitation. I am not sure exactly how this can be modified just simply by imposing a certain number of pit stops. 'I'm not sure there's anything that can be done from a track layout point of view. I've never thought of this aspect but maybe there's something that we should consider.' In what might be considered an unusual show of solidarity that may make F1 take notice, the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, concurred with his rivals. He suggested that imposing a minimum lap time could be feasible to prevent driving unnecessarily slowly and discussing altering the layout with the organisers. 'What we can look at is to create some more specific regulations that there's a maximum of back-off you can have,' he said. 'Does it improve the overtaking? I don't think that's feasible. We need to talk also with maybe ACM here. Is there anything we can change on the layout, if you could in a city limited by mountains and the sea.' - Guardian
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
F1 team heads call for Monaco to ‘move with the times' and make track change
Formula One team principals have called for layout changes to be considered at the Monaco Grand Prix to address the inability of cars to overtake after efforts to enliven the race with mandatory pit stops fell flat on Sunday. McLaren's Lando Norris took victory in Monte Carlo and was, despite the two pit-stop rule, in control throughout, Only two passes were made on track in 78 laps and drivers including Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who finished fourth, and Mercedes' George Russell, who was 11th, dismissed the rule change as all but pointless. Related: 'We were almost doing Mario Kart': Verstappen and Russell slate Monaco F1 GP pit stops The Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, believed the most important change that was required was to alter the layout to create one area where overtaking was at least feasible. 'The fundamental problem is you cannot overtake here,' he said. 'The cars are so big now that you just don't have a chance to get alongside. It's circuit specific, we've known that, it's been on the calendar for 72 years. Everything has to move with the times ultimately. 'It's an iconic and historic circuit but if you look at how Monaco has changed, how much land they've reclaimed into the sea, I don't think you'd need to do too much. There just needs to be one area where you can have an overtake and everybody knows that coming here the race was pretty much done on Saturday. We've introduced another dynamic with the pit stop, which, ultimately for the top 10, other than the retirement, nobody really changed position.' The race was marked by the leading teams matching each other through the pit stops and the absence of a safety car or red flag to bring an element of chance into proceedings. Further back, teams applied teamwork between drivers to create pit window gaps that involved deliberately driving slowly to the infuriation of others who were left impotent in a train on track. Very few were satisfied with the outcome. Norris said it had created jeopardy by the risk of mere fortune deciding the result rather than in the form of actual racing. 'There's not been any more overtaking here. I thought that was what was wanted,' he said. 'Now you just give people opportunity by luck, by waiting for a red flag, waiting for a safety car. You aren't getting a more deserved winner in the end of things.' The race organisers, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), believe that changing the track layout is all but impossible but Norris's team principal, Andrea Stella, suggested it was worth bringing into the equation. 'We should praise that Formula One and the FIA made an attempt to improve racing,' he said. 'The main limitation remains the fact that you cannot overtake and this is quite structural as a limitation. I am not sure exactly how this can be modified just simply by imposing a certain number of pit stops. 'I'm not sure there's anything that can be done from a track layout point of view. I've never thought of this aspect but maybe there's something that we should consider.' In what might be considered an unusual show of solidarity that may make F1 take notice, the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, concurred with his rivals. He suggested that imposing a minimum lap time could be feasible to prevent driving unnecessarily slowly and discussing altering the layout with the organisers. 'What we can look at is to create some more specific regulations that there's a maximum of back-off you can have,' he said. 'Does it improve the overtaking? I don't think that's feasible. We need to talk also with maybe ACM here. Is there anything we can change on the layout, if you could in a city limited by mountains and the sea.'
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
F1 team heads call for Monaco to ‘move with the times' and make track change
Formula One team principals have called for layout changes to be considered at the Monaco Grand Prix to address the inability of cars to overtake after efforts to enliven the race with mandatory pit stops fell flat on Sunday. McLaren's Lando Norris took victory in Monte Carlo and was, despite the two pit-stop rule, in control throughout, Indeed only two passes were made on track across all 78 laps and drivers including Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who finished fourth, and Mercedes' George Russell, who was 11th, dismissed the pit-stop rule change as all but pointless. The Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, believed the most important change that was required was to alter the layout to create one area where overtaking was at least feasible. 'The fundamental problem is you cannot overtake here. The cars are so big now that you just don't have a chance to get alongside,' he said. 'It's circuit specific, we've known that, it's been on the calendar for 72 years. Everything has to move with the times ultimately. 'It's an iconic and historic circuit but if you look at how Monaco has changed, how much land they've reclaimed into the sea, I don't think you'd need to do too much. There just needs to be one area where you can have an overtake and everybody knows that coming here the race was pretty much done on Saturday. We've introduced another dynamic with the pit stop which ultimately for the top 10, other than the retirement, nobody really changed position.' The race was marked by the leading teams matching each other through the pit stops and the absence of a safety car or red flag to bring an element of chance into proceedings. While in the midfield, teams applied teamwork between drivers to create pit window gaps that involved deliberately driving slowly to the infuriation of others who, with an inability to overtake, were left impotent in a train on track. Very few were satisfied with the outcome. Norris said it had created jeopardy by the risk of mere fortune deciding the result rather than in the form of actual racing. 'There's not been any more overtaking here. I thought that was what was wanted,' he said. 'Now you just give people opportunity by luck, by waiting for a red flag, waiting for a safety car. You aren't getting a more deserved winner in the end of things.' The race organisers, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), believe that changing the track layout is all but impossible but Norris's team principal, Andrea Stella, suggested it was worth bringing into the equation. 'We should praise the fact that Formula One and the FIA made an attempt to improve racing in Monaco,' he said. 'The main limitation remains the fact that you cannot overtake and this is quite structural as a limitation and I am not sure exactly how this can be modified just simply by imposing a certain number of pit stops. 'I'm not sure there's anything that can be done from a track layout point of view, to be honest I've never thought of this aspect but maybe there's something that we should consider.' In what might be considered an unusual show of solidarity that may make F1 take notice, the Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff concurred with his rivals. He suggested that imposing a minimum lap time might be feasible to prevent driving unnecessarily slowly and discussing altering the layout with the organisers. 'What we can look at is to create some more specific regulations that there's only a maximum of back-off that you can have,' he said. 'Does it improve the overtaking? I don't think that's feasible. We need to talk also with maybe ACM here. Is there anything we can change on the layout, if you could in a city limited by mountains and the sea.'
