F1 champion 'worried' over fresh driver challenge

1997 F1 champion Damon Hill has admitted he is “worried” about how the drivers will manage the new power units this year.

A major regulation change has seen greater emphasis placed on the battery, with the electric output now creating a 50/50 split with the combustion engine.

The drivers put the power units through the test last month in Barcelona at a shakedown event.

George Russell confirmed that the drivers are implementing new techniques, such as downshifting at the end of the straight when the battery runs dry.

Hill, however, thinks it could create issues when they go wheel-to-wheel racing later in the year.

“I’m a bit worried about how they manage this, when they're having to recharge at the end of the straight,” he said.

“If you're slipstreaming a car and it suddenly starts to slow down… they used to have the flashing light when they were charging.

“But now they'll all be doing it - so we're going to get some disparity of speed towards the end of the straight between people because they have to charge their batteries.

“You wonder whether they're going to do something like make their engine almost literally just a charging device for the battery.”

The importance of battery deployment could see competitors use it to catch a rival out, with several drivers commenting that overtakes in unconventional spots could be more common this year.

It means the racing could be somewhat different to what fans are used to watching.

“It's going to be so interesting and very confusing for us outside to watch it,” Hill added.

“I know that F1 will be giving us all the graphics, and you'll be able to see what state the car is in.

“But it is going to be interesting trying to learn this from the outside.”