Drivers don't think the new 2023 F1 Spanish GP track layout will help with overtaking

F1 drivers don't think that the track layout changes introduced to improve racing in the Spanish GP are going to serve the purpose.

The track layout has seen changes this season as the tight and twisty section in the third sector has been removed. Instead what we now have is a slingshot to the main straight that ends up increasing the speed of the cars early in the straight as well as theoretically making it easier to follow.

According to F1 drivers, the changes might not do their job as the front tires are going to be excessively strained, making it tougher to follow. To add to this, the bump near the final corner could break the rhythm of the cars following each other.

Talking to Autosport, AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries was noncommital and felt that overtaking would not improve with the new layout. He said,

“Let’s not take to conclusions but obviously the main reason for the change is for better racing. I'm not sure whether that will provide us with better racing… the left-front suffers a lot. The duty on the fronts are just tough," he told Autosport.

"You can feel it now, during a long run when you're behind other cars that it's so difficult to follow. Now there is a lot of emphasis on the front axle whereas previously, there was a bit of both… They did [the changes] with the right intentions, let's put it that way,” de Vries added.

Bottas shares a similar viewpoint for the new F1 Spanish GP layout

Valtteri Bottas shared a similar view as Nyck de Vries and felt that the new F1 Spanish GP track layout is not going to make much of a difference.

“Faster is always more fun. [But overtaking levels] are going to be the same. It's difficult to follow in the last corner. It's just faster, but I don't think it's going to improve overtaking. It's slightly bumpy over there," the Alfa Romeo driver told Autosport.

“So, there's a bit of movement, which makes it more challenging, but it's quite a cool corner. It's super high speed. Definitely a bit more challenging but also for the tyres. It feels like the tires are going quite a lot through those two corners,” Bottas added.

It is safe to say that the new track layout does appear to be far more challenging than the previous one and it is quite demanding on the tires as well. Could it translate into more overtakes? The jury is still out on that one.