Hulkenberg blames Suzuka’s new track surface as drivers call race “boring” · RaceFans

Nico Hulkenberg described his Japanese Grand Prix as “mostly boring” and believes the new track surface at Suzuka was responsible.

The Sauber driver started and finished 16th. There were few significant changes of position during the race: the top six finishers all took the chequered flag in grid order.

Much of the first third of the Suzuka track was resurfaced prior to this weekend’s race. The new asphalt from turns one to eight (Degner One) covered most of the corners where cars sustain high speeds for long periods, incurring the most tyre degradation.

As a result, drivers only needed to make a single pit stop to complete the race, compared to one last year. Hulkenberg believes that was the difference that made for a processional race.

“The new Tarmac is nice and grippy and quick and all that, but the low deg just makes for very static racing,” he told the official F1 channel. “The speeds are kind of too high and the dirty air effect gets worse and worse, obviously.”

He spent much of his race stuck behind Jack Doohan’s Alpine. “It was difficult to do anything out there, so quite a static race,” he said. “I spent all my race in traffic, which is not that fun around here. It was a difficult afternoon.”

Hulkenberg was not the only driver who experienced an unexciting race. Charles Leclerc called his race “very boring.” Alexander Albon, who started and finished ninth, said it was “quite a boring race, but I like boring races when we are in the points.”

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George Russell believes softer tyres would have made for a more interesting race and said F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli should react for upcoming races.

“It just seemed like everybody finished where they started,” he said. “It was very difficult to overtake.

“The tyres are way too hard for the new smooth Tarmac. That was the same in China with the new Tarmac, the tyres were too hard and it was an easy one-stop.

“So I hope Pirelli reacts quick. I know it’s difficult to change tyre compounds but for any upcoming races with the smooth Tarmacs I think we need to go at least one step softer to promote some better racing and strategy.