Is the DRS effect in Imola too strong? Actually, the track in Emilia-Romagna is not exactly overtaking-friendly, but Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz managed to get back into their regular positions quite playfully in the sprint, after having finished seventh and tenth in qualifying, well below expectations was.
Thanks to DRS, the maneuvers were usually completed before the first corner and Lando Norris remarked after the sprint that he could be the best driver in the world, but on Saturday he still had no chance of retaining the third position he had won in qualifying .
“There were more overtaking maneuvers than expected,” says Daniel Ricciardo, who also had to let Pérez and Sainz go, but was also able to overtake Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen. “I can’t say I don’t like it,” says the McLaren driver.
He thinks it would be nice if the maneuvers took place in the braking zone, but he thinks the fast cars would have passed without DRS. And he also felt fast enough that he would have found a way past the others even without DRS. “I’m happy with the racing this year and that we have a few more overtaking manoeuvres,” said Ricciardo.
The McLaren drivers do not think that the FIA should adjust the length of the DRS zone in Imola. “Red Bull and Ferrari are a second and a little faster than us, so it was easy for them anyway,” Norris dismisses.
“You come out of the last corner and you’re already within two tenths of a second,” he says. “And a couple of cars were in unusual positions thanks to the conditions in qualifying and that had a bigger effect than DRS being just too strong,” said Norris. “This year is definitely better than last year and that’s okay with me.”
McLaren drivers welcome sprint format
The two McLaren drivers also have no problem with the sprint format itself. “It’s not always, so it refreshes the weekend,” says Ricciardo. “Having the lights go off twice a weekend is fun. And going into Turn 1 more than once a weekend is cool because that’s the best part of the weekend, so I’m definitely in favor of it.”
Norris agrees, even if he emphasizes that he doesn’t want the format to be more than the planned three times a year. The Briton sees the advantage of the format on the exciting Friday, which is now more than just training. “Yes, it makes Friday more exciting for everyone who has been around for a long time,” agrees Ricciardo.