The new rules that came into effect for the 2022 season (and the cars’ specifications and regulations) plus the new 18-inch tyres caused drivers to have less visibility, but McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo says drivers will get used to it and rely more on their instincts.

But this is not breaking news, as several drivers who had a run with the new cars in team simulators last year reported since that visibility was reduced because of the taller front tyres and deflectors that sit alongside them. Those arguments were confirmed when the drivers hit the track in the real cars and corroborated that reduced visibility was an issue, especially in corners.

“It’s definitely a little more tricky,” said the Australian during today's press conference.

“There’s just more in the way. Another thing with F1, obviously it’s a very unrelatable sport, because no one can jump in the car and really experience what it’s like.

“But also, a lot of onboard cameras are from the top. So you see so much more. So you might think you’re riding with the driver, but you’re not really getting like the driver’s point of view. Actually, they did test a few [helmet] cameras last year.

“But my point is, you don’t see that much, period. So this year, you see less again, but you also get used to it, and you just find reference points and things like this. So it is something that gets easier over time. But yeah, it probably hasn’t been that great since the old days, when they were sitting right at the front of the car and a lot higher.”

The McLaren driver was also asked if the point in question was going to impact the drivers’ ability to race wheel-to-wheel, he declared that indeed it was going to be a challenge, but that they will have to adapt to it.

“I also don’t say it kind of negatively. I think it’s just kind of part of what we do. And it’s something we get used to. I think it is something we’ll get used to. I mean, there are always kind of blind spots in the car, so you have to use a lot of your intuition as well when you’re racing side-by-side.

“But I think also that that kind of creates sometimes like the art of the good battle, so you kind of use your other instincts, or rely on other things to kind of pull off a move or defend well.

“I think there’ll be a bit more for us to adjust to, especially in the in the early days of 2022. But maybe by whatever, a couple of races in, we’ll be like, ‘Oh, we don’t really feel it anymore."

Daniel Ricciardo was not the only driver who had a say in the matter, Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez also recognized that all drivers will just have to adapt to the new viewpoint with reduced visibility.

“It’s a question of time,” said the Mexican.

“We definitely have to get used to less visibility. We’ll all try to figure it out how we can get more, but obviously, there’s so much you can get in terms of seating position.

“So yeah, we definitely have to get used to it to measure our distances better. And yeah, the wheel-to-wheel racing, I think we all are going to get used to it. So it’s going to be another challenge for this year.”