Understeer vs Oversteer & How Max Verstappen’s Unique Driving Style has Delivered Back-to-back.
In car setup dynamics, there is always a compromise. Be it aerodynamic efficiency, suspension, load stiffness, tyre performance, and so on. Oversteer and understeer are usually referred to as the balance of the car, and are generated in a multitude of ways.
We often hear drivers complaining about the balance of the car. Usually, they will pit and discuss with the engineers in the garage about tweaks to make on the suspension and aerodynamics, but there are also small micro-adjustments on the wheel, which the driver can change on track. Brake bias, brake migration and differential changes can all result in a different car balance.
Additionally, during a race, the inherent balance of the car changes, due to the tyres degrading and providing less grip in corners, or fuel levels dropping, lowering the ride height and weight. This is all part of the management of a race stint, and is an unsung factor to what makes a driver great.
A Sixth Sense…
F1 cars are rear wheel drive, so front tyre grip is used to steer the car around the corner and rear tyre grip is to propel the car forward. Balance is a pretty big deal. Too much or too less and you’re costing precious lap time.
Max is known for having a “loose” car, with a very pointy front end. This notion has been exacerbated in previous years, with the Newey high rake, short wheelbase cars, giving greater agility through corners.
Oversteery setups can be beneficial. An oversteery setup means the driver induces less steering lock to rotate the car — it can rotate earlier in the corner, hence go on the power earlier. The cost of this is possible oversteer “snaps”. To perform well, Max utilises his unique car control ability to push the car to its limit, knowing he can recover any losses mid-corner, to where he is almost dancing the car at speed.
Drivers routinely deal with occasional small oversteer in their car, but Max has a much higher tolerance. The aforementioned reasons are partly why Gasly, Albon and Perez have had struggles at Red Bull, them preferring more neutral setups.
“He has an incredibly natural feel for racing”
— Gianpiero Lambiase
Aerodynamics vs Suspension Geometry
Aerodynamically, balance is centered and factored via the aerodynamic centre of pressure. Simply, the further forward this pressure is, the more oversteery your car will be.
Driving around the circuit, there is constant weight transfer. Under braking, the car pitches — lifting the rear, pushing the centre of pressure forwards. Through corners, the car rolls — migrating the pressure to one side of the car.
Suspension is a way to augment and control this weight transfer. The goal is to do this, whilst keeping all 4 tyres in contact.
This is a race car, so we don’t care about comfort here, at all.
The 2022 technical regulations called for less advanced suspensions, banning hydraulic heave springs, gas springs and inerters. Complicated stuff — but simply these modules controlled and absorbed loads pretty well, which allowed the other springs and dampers to be run softer. Softer springs allows for greater contact of the tyre in slow speed corners, aiding mechanical grip.
Due to this simplification in 2022, the suspension is known to be very stiffly sprung. The best balance would be having to find the best compromise between these interacting values.
“Some drivers want to get to the bottom of the data, while others don’t want to be involved at all. And then there’s Max. He explains very precisely where he can push the car to the limit and what exactly he needs to drive faster. We always know what to do because of his instructions. A driver who can communicate clearly is a great gift. He has an incredibly natural feel for racing, coupled with a good analytical mind.” — Gianpiero Lambiase
Max would likely be biasing the load transfer of the RB18 to the rear of the car, by having a stiffer rear suspension, relative to the front — creating more oversteer. The trick is the management of the balance and responding to the changing track and tyre conditions. He would alter his driving style throughout the weekend and make adjustments necessary.
I will save discussing suspension in more detail for another day.
Thank you.
