Romain Grosjean has expressed his surprise at the lack of start-line drama at the Australia Grand Prix last weekend, following a change in the clutch regulations.
In a bid to make start procedures much more unpredictable, more emphasis was placed on driver skill, with limits placed on clutch bite points and paddle placement on the steering wheel.
"Last year, you could shape the clutch map to the clutch. They were a bit rigid where you could drop the clutch, there was a big range on the drop," Grosjean explained.
"This year, we have to be leaner. If your travel is 10 centimetre, generally you release one centimetre – that’s 10 percent of the clutch. There’s not a place where you can play with a flat map. Therefore, you drop it in a good region, and you have to drop it in a perfect percentage for the grip of the track."
Despite the neatness in Melbourne, Grosjean doesn't think the rest of the races will see the same pattern, as he proclaims the start procedure is very complicated and difficult.
"It’s not easy, starts are complicated. There are a lot of equations taken into account,” Grosjean said. "It’s pretty tricky to know exactly what to do. We’re not yet the best, but we’re going to keep working hard on it. We have some room for improvement.
"Race starts this year are going to be tricky. I was actually surprised there weren’t any big dramas at the start of the Australian Grand Prix. It may happen in the year."
Fergal Walsh
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