Paul Hembery speaks his mind on Formula 1 2017’s regulations

Formula 1 cars will feel like they are “on rails” for drivers in 2017.

With the introduction of wider front and rear wings and tyres next season, it is anticipated the cars will be three to six seconds per lap quicker, dependent on the circuit.

The bulk of that time will be made up through the corners as straightline speed will initially be compromised by the drag of the new aerodynamics.

But Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery feels the additional downforce will make cars incredibly stable in the corners.

“If you are cornering with that much grip, and if it’s to be believed up to five or six seconds a lap quicker, that clearly is going to be felt by the drivers in a dramatic fashion,” Hembery told Autosport.

“It could be driving on rails at that point. It could be so high the feeling is the car has such grip that it’s more driving on rails rather than driving on the limit.

“We won’t know until they get to the limits on track to understand where those limits actually are.

“But with that improvement in performance it’s like going into another category of racing.

“It will be like jumping from GP2 into Formula 1, so it’ll be almost like a Formula 1-plus compared to where we are now.”

Such a difference is likely to mean some drivers could need time to acclimatise.

“It’s going to take a while anyway, but I’m sure they will have been driving in the simulator before they get in the car for the first time, so they will already have an idea of what the real impact is going to be,” said Hembery.

“Sometimes something like this can bring out differences in drivers. I’m sure the top guys will say it is what they want – that they want to be challenged more.”

Category: Formula One