System 1 drivers have been caught up by the bumpiness of Interlagos’ new observe floor, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri joking “seeing the top of the straight is the primary goal” in Saturday’s dash.
The historic Brazilian Grand Prix venue in Sao Paulo has been utterly resurfaced for 2024, and whereas drivers agreed the brand new asphalt delivered extra grip, in addition they felt it made the 4.3km loop so much bumpier than it was once
“I feel all people was thrown off a bit by simply how bumpy the observe was,” Piastri mentioned after claiming a dash pole forward of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
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“Seeing the top of the straight is the primary goal. It is unhealthy, it is actually, actually bumpy. And I feel everybody’s needed to change plenty of issues on the automobile to make them considerably snug.
“The grip is definitely fairly good, it is simply making an attempt to maintain all 4 wheels on the bottom directly will not be that straightforward.”
Piastri was not alone in his observations, with Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen additionally struggling aboard his Crimson Bull, which has been traditionally weaker over bumpy circuits.
“The automobile was a bit troublesome on the bumps,” the world champion mentioned after taking fourth on the dash grid.
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB20
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
“They did the resurfacing, however they really made it worse to drive. It is extraordinarily bumpy all over the place, in order that’s not good for our automobiles.
“All of the bumpy areas, the automobile is leaping round so much, and it is costing me fairly a little bit of lap time.”
The Mercedes drivers had an identical expertise, with George Russell questioning “what occurred” after they repaved it and Lewis Hamilton getting flashbacks to Mercedes’ bouncing-affected 2022 season.
“Yeah, the journey is fairly unhealthy on the observe, I feel for everybody,” Hamilton mentioned. “The observe has been resurfaced, and so they’ve not completed a very nice job. It is bumpy for everybody.
“FP1 was like Baku 2022. It was somewhat bit higher, by way of it wasn’t hitting the deck so badly, so I wasn’t in ache or something like that. However the factor is hopping via the corners, so it is very laborious to drive.”
