Sebastian Vettel frustrated as F1 cars set to get slower

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel frustrated as F1 cars set to get slower

Could it see Seb leave F1 in 2021?

Matthew Scott

Friday 1 November 2019 10:00

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Sebastian Vettel is concerned that Formula 1 cars will become too slow once the 2021 regulations come into force.

F1 estimated that the cars will become around three seconds per lap slower in 2021, although this has been traded off in an attempt to allow them to follow each other more closely and make overtaking manoeuvres easier.

F1 motorsport director Ross Brawn spoke in frustrated tones at a regulation switch between 2016 and 2017, which was aimed at making cars five seconds per lap slower, but saw overtaking become more difficult due to the downforce being produced by the cars.

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However, Vettel sees things differently and did not speak of 2016 as some kind of racing ideal as Brawn had done.

He said: "I think the cars are a lot more spectacular since 2017. Now we know what the cars can do. It was quite slow before that.

"Obviously we had very little drag and it was great in a straight line but that's not the exciting bit for us and it was significantly slower than maybe some years earlier.

"The wrong direction, in my point of view, is that the cars are so heavy.

"Which is obviously related to, in a way, some of the safety measures. But I think everybody accepts that. [And] the power unit. So that is really, I think, the biggest difference if you really make a big [comparison] between now, where we are, and where Formula 1 has been 10 or 20 years ago."

Vettel has previously said the new regulations will go a long way to deciding whether he remains in F1 in 2021 or not and he suggested that further detail was required before pushing him one way or the other.

He said: "Now, obviously we have an idea. I think everyone was sort of waiting for that day to come. And now I think we need to try and understand what exactly that idea means.

"Obviously, on paper, the ideas are always great. I think it will materialise a little bit more in the coming weeks. So we'll see in the end of the day. No matter how the cars look, if the racing is better for us, it's more fun then. That's a win."