Formula One racing in 2017: how the experts see it

One driver, one engineer and three pundits give views on how the new regs will impact on this year’s F1 season

Jolyon Palmer: Renault Sport F1 driver

• Higher speeds

“The biggest change is the speed we can carry into high speed corners. At Barcelona [during testing] there are corners where we had to lift off the throttle and touch the brakes in last year’s car, but now those corners are flat out. We’ve got to be more committed. At Barcelona, there’s a speed gain of 20 km/h in some corners.”

• Tougher tyres

“This year, you can break traction [but] the tyres are more resistant to heat, so you can lean on them a lot more. You can be more aggressive on the throttle. There’s still some tyre degradation, but there’ll be more flat-out racing and therefore more angry radio messages from engineers asking drivers to push harder!”

• Harder (but better) overtaking

“I think the Drag Reduction System will be even more important this year. I’m no fan of DRS, but you feel a bigger drop off in aerodynamic grip when you’re following cars now. You lose the downforce and the car gets looser. Having said that, I think the overtakes will be better this year; being harder to do will make each passing move of a higher quality.”

• Edgier handling

“The cars now corner as if they are on rails, but when they do let go, they let go in a bigger way. Also, the races are going to be much more physical. With fatigue, it makes it easier to lose the car. This is Formula 1, so there’s no margin for error.”

• Shorter lap times

“Straight-line speeds are lower because there’s more drag, but around corners, it’s like stepping up from GP2 to F1 in terms of performance. I’ve gone five seconds faster around Barcelona than ever before. It’s exactly what we want.”

Bob Bell: Renault Sport F1 chief technical officer

… on the chances of a Renault win in 2017

Bob Bell thinks this year’s Renault car could be one of the most promising yet.

When a man as experienced as Bell says something like that, you listen. He’s been in F1 for 35 years and has been part of the McLaren, Benetton, Jordan, Mercedes and Marussia teams during that time, but his best wins have been with Renault. He was technical director when the French outfit won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in 2005 and 2006.

Bell sees this year’s RS17 as the first “real” Renault of the present era. Last year’s car was basically a Lotus, but the RS17 is “a new car from the ground up”, something that they’ve had the time and the resources to create, and the first fruits of the partnership between the UK-based race team, which builds the chassis, and the engine plant in France.

Joe Saward: F1 journalist for 29 years

“This time last year, Ferrari was first and second quickest at the end of winter testing, but this year, that seems to be a little bit more believable. We’ll see, but watch out for Sebastian Vettel to surprise.

“Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate is Valtteri Bottas. It’s a tough call to beat Hamilton but Bottas is confident and has looked good in testing. Still, this is Hamilton we’re talking about.

“The Red Bulls don’t seem to be on quite the same pace but Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen are still going to be worth watching.”