Formula 1 teams have been braced for “woeful misery” in the early phase of the new regulations cycle by the FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis.
F1 is entering a new era of radical technical regulations, which will see further electrification, aerodynamic changes, both of which dovetail new in-car modes for drivers to grapple with.
The drastic difference is causing an upswell of excitement amid unpredictability, with everything up in the air and speculation before cars’ wheels are turned in anger for the first time.
And even then, it has already been intimated that, with the learnings all teams will take early on, the initial results may not reflect the overall outcomes of both championships.
Tombazis, who held technical roles at a plethora of F1 teams before taking up his post at the FIA, conveyed his sympathy with the current squads.
“I certainly remember being on the other side of the fence when you have new regulations,” he said to media including Motorsport Week.
“One of the big challenges is operating in the dark. You don’t know where the others are.
“You don’t know whether you need to recover one second from one season to the next or if you’re ahead and going to start the championship winning or in woeful misery.
“So that angst of the unknown, I think, is psychologically very draining for teams. I don’t live that side.”
The Greek was a pivotal figure in the formation of the new regulations, and revealed that the sport’s governing body has been working closely with the teams to ensure anomalies and aberrations within them are resolved.
“On our side, of course, as the FIA, the challenge is to make sure we tie all the loose ends of the regulations,” he said.
“It’s a big change in the structure, in trying to address a lot of topics, and we’ve worked together with the teams to try to resolve all the little issues, right to this moment.”
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