Heavier 2022 F1 cars feel more ‘sluggish’ to drive - Norris

Lando Norris says the increased weight of Formula 1’s 2022 cars makes them feel “a bit more sluggish” to drive.

24 Feb 2022

Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren MCL36.
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The weight of F1’s new generation of cars has gone up from 752 to 795kgs for the 2022 season, and Norris was among a number of drivers to report the extra weight was one of the biggest differences he noticed on the opening day of pre-season testing at Barcelona.

Norris set the pace for McLaren on the opening day of running on Wednesday at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya as the drivers got their first proper taste behind the wheel of F1’s new ground effect-based cars.

“The weight makes a massive different for just the driving and how the car reacts,” Norris explained at the end of the first day.

“It’s a lot heavier than it was last season so it just feels a bit slower, a bit more sluggish.

“It’s like running with the race fuel of last season but for almost a qualifying lap, in a way - not quite as much.

“So you do feel it with the braking and certain things, you do feel like the performance is not quite the same, but it shouldn’t be too long.

“I think by the end of the day you’re a little bit more used to it and it feels almost used to it again.”

Norris, who previously revealed he had been experimenting with different driving styles in the simulator over the winter, said the new cars require an element of adaptation.

“There’s certain things you’ve got to change,” he added. “Not everything, a lot of things are similar, and you’ve just got to go out and feel the car and drive what’s best.

“I think even if the car was the same I would still be trying a lot of different things, I would still be trying different driving styles and so on. It’s just with this car you might have to adapt slightly differently and commit more to one style of driving than another.

“I don’t think I would have started any differently to a normal season, you’ve just got to expect more differences and be ready to change more than maybe what you’re used to.

“I think I have a good understanding, and it’s still early, there’s still many things that I need to try and understand and get my head around.”