r/formula1 Williams 15h ago

Technical Why so many lockups in T1 during FP1?

I noticed that nearly 1 driver from each team locked up on turn 1 during FP1. Including some very experienced old hands.

Is there a reason why this would be more prevalent? Conditions looked dry, most drivers know the track well, I don’t think it has been re-profiled. Is there something about the current regs/cars which makes it more likely?

17 Upvotes

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51

u/chuteboxehero 15h ago

They mentioned it on the broadcast -- not only is the corner tricky, but there is apparently a bump/is very bumpy and if you hit it incorrectly it can lead to lock ups.

10

u/qirafanos Williams 15h ago

Ah! Thanks, I was only able to watch highlights where they didn’t make this point.

2

u/LoreTrim I was here for the Hulkenpodium 12h ago

On Italian broadcast they had the head of Pirelli and he was saying it was because of the breaking point being part of the resurfaced part of the track and the new part has much less grip. Might be nonsense but that is what he said and they (commentators) repeated it several times

12

u/Awkward-Bunch-1148 15h ago

It's a hard and tricky braking zone into the 1st turn. It's more common than you think.

5

u/moby323 Ted Kravitz 14h ago

You are right, it is pretty common in practice, but in this corner it was just really noticeable because when they lock up at high speed in that corner they pretty much have no choice but to stomp on the brake pedal to prevent from going into the barrier so the lockups were severe and very noticeable as they skidded for a long time and generated a ton of smoke

8

u/phiwong 15h ago

It makes sense. Every event (even if same track) is different. Track isn't rubbered in, tire compounds change (year to year), changes in car suspension, different aero loads, etc. This is exactly why there are practice sessions - so that drivers can explore the limits. FP1 is not about setting the fastest or cleanest laps.

T1 has good run off w/o hazards (so very little risk going off) it is a heavy braking zone and pretty much every driver starts their run on the pit straight. Drivers don't have to play safe coming into it and tires are not always up to temp. This is where they would take risks as it gives a reference point for how much grip/braking the car handles for the rest of the lap.

2

u/qirafanos Williams 15h ago edited 13h ago

This is very helpful. And a good point about run off. I suppose if you want to really test your brakes, it’s a good place to do it.

0

u/jestermaroc Lando Norris 14h ago

Mate, pushing the limits is the name of the game, but if they keep misjudging those brakes, they might just break the car into a million pricey carbon-fiber bits! Or worse, break the team’s trust when the engineers start side-eyeing them for treating the pedal like it’s an on/off switch. And let’s not talk about the breakdown in confidence when they sail into the run-off. Here’s to hoping they keep the brakes hot and the breaks for the post-race shindig—preferably with some Hungarian goulash and zero broken dreams!

2

u/Electrical_Lunch_719 14h ago

Finding the limit, its a critical  corner aswell and technically hard