Overtaking will be risky during the United States Grand Prix
During the season, the leading drivers have struggled a lot to overtake the backmarkers, but the narrow track in Texas is expected to be even more challenging to tackle in the race. De la Rosa fears overtaking will be particularly difficult, especially since visibility is minimal with banked and blind turns.
The first United States Grand Prix since 2007 will be held in Austin, Texas. The brand-new circuit has generated a lot of buzz in the F1 world. A marvel of engineering for some, but also a narrow track where overtaking will be challenging.
Yesterday, during the free practice sessions, many drivers found themselves hindered. The esses in the first sector are very narrow, blind, and can be a real danger for the slower drivers. Not seeing the faster cars approaching in the mirrors, it’s difficult to know where to position themselves to avoid causing an obstruction.
“The first sector will be very difficult to manage to let the leaders pass,” Pedro de la Rosa confides to the microphone of Autosport. “There is only one trajectory in sector 1, and if you go off it, you lose all grip.”
The HRT driver qualified 5.5 seconds slower than Sebastian Vettel in Austin, just two-tenths away from the 107% rule that would have prevented the Spaniard from taking part in the race. Under normal circumstances, this means the two drivers should be separated by 2 laps by the end of the Grand Prix.
« Many times I saw cars getting closer in my mirrors in the first sector. I slightly slowed down while staying on my trajectory and hoped they would find the right place to overtake because if I had to move aside, I think I couldn’t avoid the collision. »
« It’s difficult to judge the speed of a single-seater, » continued de la Rosa. « And it’s even more complicated to find the right place to let it pass… »
For his part, Pastor Maldonado admits to cautiously approaching the slower cars. « If you’re behind a backmarker, you can lose 2 or 3 seconds very quickly. You have to be in the right place to overtake and control the distance between you and the car, especially when braking. »
Example of the difficulty, during Free Practice 3, Sergio Pérez and Charles Pic collided during an overtaking maneuver of the Sauber driver on the Marussia without either driver being blamed.
