Drivers Not Happy Over Changes Being Made By Formula 1: "I'm Not Even Sure The FIA Are Aware!"

Lewis Hamilton and a host of other drivers aren't a fan of changes being made by the F1 that makes it harder to overtake.

F1 has had issues with how difficult drivers have found it to overtake in the past. In fact, one of the main reasons for these new cars and the introduction of ground effect again was to improve the ease of overtaking. But after a rather lacklustre Azerbaijan Grand Prix, some drivers have started pointing fingers as to what they believe is the culprit.

At the beginning of the 2023 F1 calendar, the FIA announced the first five races would be changed to improve the overtaking performance of cars after collecting data from 2022. Baku was one of those tracks, with the main straight of DRS being reduced by 100 metres. 

However, drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris are calling foul. Hamilton said:

 "I don’t quite know why they did that, we’ve always had great racing with where the DRS was. But by the time you switch the DRS, it was too late."

Norris was also frustrated with the shortened DRS zone, saying: 

"Especially with our straight-line speed. It’s not helped by how much shorter the DRS is now compared to where it was last year." He went on to reveal that "All the drivers questioned it in the drivers' briefing."

And Norris isn't the only driver who thinks that overtaking has become even more difficult this year due to the new aerodynamic regulations. Kevin Magnussen added: 

"It certainly didn’t make any sense that they made it shorter, because the cars are harder to follow this year with the rule changes."

Logan Sargeant of Williams believes F1 and the FIA should rethink their decision to shorten DRS zones, stating:

"You can't do much. You get stuck behind the cars in front. It's really difficult to overtake and get close enough."

But not everyone is convinced that the change to the DRS zone was the main issue. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said:

"I'm not sure that 100 meters more DRS would have made a difference...

"Maybe just."

His driver George Russell, however, was not on board with the decision and expressed his concerns about the lack of consultation with drivers.

“The overtaking is harder this year than it’s been last year,” he told the press. “As the cars have evolved away from the initial regulations that F1 introduced, overtaking has become more difficult.

“Obviously they’re shortening all the DRS zones as well, which the drivers have had zero input on, and been a little bit disappointed again that we weren’t in that loop to hear that because I’m not even sure the FIA are aware that we feel that the overtaking is harder, yet they’re basing the DRS off historic information.