The new Vandervell Vanwall 680 is not enjoying the bumps at Sebring International Raceway, team driver Jacques Villeneuve told MotorsportWeek.com.
‘It’s not handling the bumps well at all and it’s very very difficult to drive. It surprises you all the time,’ said the 1997 F1 world champion.
He continued, “So we’re not in the right ballpark with the setup, with the mechanical setup of the car. And we don’t understand it yet. So we’re still trying to understand what’s happening and and why it’s it’s doing what it’s doing.
He continued: “The car is brand new — we don’t understand it yet. This is a test session for us. So this is the first step.”
The car is built by the team formerly known as ByKolles, now known as Vanwall. The team has tested at many tracks around Europe for the past two years, but Sebring poses a unique challenge due to its mid-20th century concrete slabs and the bumps these create between each slab.
When asked specifically why the car was so difficult to drive, Villeneuve replied, “It’s very difficult because it’s very unstable right now. So, it’s a handful. You know, every corner you’re actually fighting the car. It’s not natural yet, so we we need to figure something out.”
The Prologue, last weekend, was Vanwall’s first chance to drive the car at Sebring. While it was a valuable test, Villeneuve said it was also fraught with issues.
“Yesterday at least I managed to get some laps in, so I could get up to speed. Because, until yesterday, what we did in The Prologue, we only had issues with the car. So I think I’d two or three laps without issues.
“It was impossible get used to the car, and to this track, because this track is a handful. So it was too much, the two things at once. Yesterday, i got a bunch of laps and now I can actually work with the team,” replied the Canadian.
Talking of the team, Villeneuve has been learning from his teammates, Tom Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri.
“They have a lot more experience with the car, because they drove it all last year, even though the car is a bit different now. For now, at least, it was easy for them to just get up at speed on the track and try to figure out the car out. But now, the three of us can work,” the 51-year-old concluded.
