Carlos Sainz believes the current generation of cars are becoming harder to follow, as he struggled to make progress during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The current cars were introduced last year with the aim of making the racing closer by eliminating the aerodynamic turbulence generated by cars - often referred to as 'dirty air' in F1. To do this the FIA has limited the amount of bodywork that can be added to the outer part of the car, instead placing more emphasis on the floor to generate downforce. But this has not stopped some teams - including Ferrari - from exploiting grey areas in the regulations. Sainz feels the 2023 cars have become 'a bit like the older cars' which has made it harder to follow again, due to the developments made over the winter. "These cars in dirty air have got a bit worse compared to last year, probably adding downforce and the new regs," he told Sky Sports . "They are starting to become a bit like the old cars where the dirty air is becoming a limitation, and today it wasn't that easy to pass."
Other drivers complain of dirty air
Other drivers also complained of the dirty air affecting their cars and the ability to get close to others. Lando Norris was battling teammate Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant for 15th, but noted that it was tough to follow. "[Our car is] a bit worse in the race than I would say we were hoping for. We can't follow very well, we struggled in the dirty air too much," said Norris to media, including RacingNews365.com . Sergeant also noted that the dirty air ruined his tyres and stopped him from being able to challenge Nico Hulkenberg for 12th earlier in the race. "I was relatively competitive after the Safety Car fighting with Hulkenberg. But maybe just pushed a bit too hard in the dirty air and hurt my tyres too early," said the American.
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