This was a significant criticism from many of the racers competing in the first F1 race this weekend at the Miami International Speedway, regarding the low traction of the new track away from the racetrack.
In the second training session of the event, Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel were involved in separate accidents, overtaking and passing other cars, respectively, and there were three crashes causing a red flag in training and errors in the entire qualifying field.
The pilots explain this with a significant lack of traction away from the rubber race line, which will in any case be reduced for Sunday’s race after the night rain in Miami.
But Sainz, who will start second in the grid with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, says he “feels wet off the line” in turn 1, so the drivers asked the FIA to make sure there were no leftovers left. the track when they lead en masse at the beginning of the race.
“In the beginning, it can be very difficult on this inside line and this outside line on turn 1,” Sainz told a news conference after qualifying.
“We asked the FIA to make sure that the track is as clean as possible for this start, because we can see mistakes coming from pilots who are really not to blame for this.
“Because it’s basically like driving on a dry line and off the line it feels like wet – so we need a little help from the direction of the race to help us.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75
Photo: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
Motorsport.com understands that although the FIA confirms the pilots’ request for turn 1, it does not plan to do any additional cleaning or track cleaning, as the entire track is cleaned before each new session.
Sainz was also asked about his thoughts on the challenge of overtaking the Miami track, which has several long straights and three DRS zones.
While Sainz believes that “overtaking is possible with all three long straights”, he fears that offline capture will stop pilots from trying to move on the edge.
“All drivers complained about the lack of traction, which is offline,” he continued.
“So, if you’re going to make a pass, you have to make it stick pretty early when you stop.
“If not, I’m struggling to see how we make some late movements or jumps from far behind because there’s very little traction.”
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The exit from Miami Boxing, which turns into Turn 2, could be a key factor in Sunday’s race, as drivers will try to take a low-grip line with cold tires, potentially racing other cars side by side.
Pierre Gasley was given a black-and-white flag warning for briefly crossing the exit line before the approaching Sainz in mid-FP3, but he seems to have made a wrong assessment as he assessed Ferrari’s position instead of slipping as he pressed in. maximum speed.
Williams’ head of car showman Dave Robson says drivers in the package will have to “accept the lack of traction” offline in the beginning in an attempt to win positions.
But he suggested that the lack of traction at the exit from the box would “be interesting”.
“When cars come out of the pitlane,” he continued, “it’s hard to race a car. This whole area is going to lead to some interesting side-by-side battles.
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