New cars to test F1 drivers physically

Red Bull racing driver Daniel Ricciardo has said that he expects some drivers to struggle with the new cars in 2017 after a raft of changes from the FIA.

The Australian feels the new cars will pose a physical challenge for younger or weaker drivers and insisted he is already training to ensure he is up for the challenge.

“I think so. If they are as physical as what they were when I did my first test, you know that was real shock to the system,” Ricciardo told WAtoday. “If it goes to something like that then, yeah, I think some people will take it for granted and not really appreciate what it will be and, yeah, they will get found out.

“The hot races, the hot races are the big ones. You know Malaysia, Singapore, these ones, if you are not prepared for that then I’m sure those last 15 to 20 laps are going to be the closest thing to hell that we get.”

Ricciardo feels drivers with experience of the previous generation of cars would have an advantage over greener drivers in 2017.

“For us as drivers we have sort of said for a while and especially the drivers who have been around a bit longer, you know, you want faster cars,” he said. “Not technically more challenging, I mean they are hard to drive, but you know physically more challenging and just a bit more scary, I guess.

“Like, corner speeds, the first time I drove an F1 in 2009 you know the corner speeds were astronomical – my head wanted to get ripped off. And I sort of feel now, the young drivers when they come in now it is less of a shock to them and I think we sort of want that again. You want F1 to be really on another level. And I guess that goes back to the wider tyres, more down force to try and help that.”