Formula 1 returns to Holland after a lifetime: the last time it was a royal podium, with Niki Lauda’s victory ahead of Prost and Senna. It was 1985. For the current drivers the new Zandvoort, which has been deeply modified compared to the old track, will be a great discovery because it is a track that no one knows. With one exception, Max Verstappen, who got the chance to try it in 2020. A small advantage even if in the era of simulators the secrets do not last long.
The track has maintained the old-fashioned, narrow and fast philosophy, but the Italian company Dromo, in charge of redesigning it, has modified a couple of points by inserting potentially spectacular raised sections. A track for brave men, which the drivers should really like but with few overtaking points. The qualifying will therefore be essential, with an eye to the weather and the sand that could come from the nearby beach in case of wind.
The circuit is 4,259 km long and made up of 14 turns (10 to the right and 4 to the left) and is really very fast, with few braking and very fast hairpin turns which are tackled even in 7th-8th gear. The first sector has only two braking points with the most severe to be made at turn 3 where the drivers will enter in second gear. Sector 1 ends with the sequence given by turns 4-5-6 to be covered in full acceleration. The second intermediate will also be quite fast with only real braking present in turn-9.
The last section opens with a big braking, the most difficult for the braking system, arriving from the DRS area located in the section joining turn 10 to 11. A corner that is tackled in third gear and then press on the accelerator, with a short lifting at turn 13 and then go down the legendary turns 14 that thanks to the banking will also allow the drivers to operate the DRS device a little earlier than what usually happens when exiting the fast hairpin bends.
2021 Dutch GP: aerodynamics and DRS
In order to be able to maximize the performance of the car, teams should prefer a medium-high downforce set-up. Since this is a circuit characterized by a fair amount of fast corners, it will be crucial for the drivers to count on the right vertical thrust necessary to tackle the sequence that leads from turns 4 to 8.
The presence of a single true straight could also lead the technicians to sacrifice some top speed to maximize the performance of the car in the slower part of Zandvoort. However, in order to achieve the optimal aero-mechanical set-up it will also be necessary to take into account the banking present in turn-3 and turn-14.
In these two sections, the force of inertia will help to increase the thrust perpendicular to the asphalt, thus increasing the level of the overall downforce of the car and consequently also the loads on the tires.
For this reason, we can assume that some teams may use a slightly more unloaded set-up to gain something not only in terms of speed, but above all in managing the tires. It is precisely because of the layout changes that Pirelli has decided to focus on the use of the harder compounds present in its arsenal: Hard C1, Medium C2 and Soft C3. There will be 2 sections in which it will be possible to resort to the use of the DRS. On the main, less than 700 meters long and on the final stretch of T2, to join turn 10 to 11.
As it is the first time that Formula 1 will take to the track on the Zandvoort circuit, it is impossible to give precise values regarding the speed deltas guaranteed by its use. However, we can foresee that the opening of the mobile device can make an important contribution especially for those who will opt for more charged wings. As this is a narrow and winding circuit, we can foresee that it will not be an easy task for the drivers to overtake. The greatest opportunities in this sense will therefore be offered by the DRS area present on the main straight line of the runway.
2021 Dutch GP: Power unit and transmission
The mild climate present at this time of the year combined with the smoothness of the track should allow teams to easily manage the operating temperatures of the engines, thus encouraging the use of a cover without openings. An aspect that will improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the car without jeopardizing the integrity of the power unit. The use of the endothermic will still be important. The throttle will remain open for about 68% of the lap time (estimated at 70-72 ”).
This will make the MGU-H the main component from which the batteries will be able to receive the bulk of the energy recovery (in this case obtained from the enthalpy of the exhaust gases). MGU-K, on the other hand, will certainly provide a lower energy intake. As we will see below, Zandvoort will not be particularly demanding on the brakes. Even the transmission will not be among the most stressed elements: 48 the number of gearshifts that the drivers will make on average over the course of a single lap.
2021 Dutch GP: Braking system
According to Brembo engineers, this is a medium difficulty circuit for the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it deserves a 3. Value which places it on the same level as Budapest and Spielberg. One of its distinctive features is the slope of about 18 ° that distinguishes Turns-3 and 14. This will generate a significant effect on the car’s set-up and will also affect the brakes.
Formula 1 drivers will use the braking system in 9 of the 14 corners on the Dutch circuit. The last corner, due to the inclination and the over 90 km / h lost at the previous bend, will not be one of them. The brake pedal will be operated on average for 12.3 seconds per lap, or for 17% of the entire race distance.
The smoothness of the track is confirmed by the presence of only 2 detached to require a braking distance greater than 100 meters. With the exception of Imola, no other circuit present within the 2021 calendar has characteristics of this type. From the start to the checkered flag, the total load that each driver will be required to exert on the brake pedal will reach 43.3 tons.
Of the 9 braking sections present, 2 are classified as very demanding, 4 are of medium difficulty and the remaining 3 are light. The braking to turn 11 will be the heaviest. This is despite the fact that the entry speed is lower, for example, than that which will lead to the first corner of the track. The speed delta will therefore be greater: it will go from about 313 to 99 km / h in just 105 meters. To do this, drivers will need to apply a 139 kg load on the brake pedal for approximately 2.25 seconds. The resulting deceleration will be 4.8 G.
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