Verstappen won't add padding for Istanbul's neck-killer Turn 8
Max Verstappen is bracing for Istanbul's famous Turn 8, but the Red Bull charger insists he won't be adding padding to the cockpit of his RB16 to mitigate the effects of the neck-killer corner.
Istanbul Park's renowned multi-apex left-hand fast sweep earned itself quite a reputation during F1's previous stint at the Turkish venue.
But the greater downforce levels of the sport's current cars will have only heightened the corner's physical challenge since F1 last visited the track in 2011.
Drivers typically add padding to their cockpit to help restrain neck movement, but Verstappen explained why he won't resort to the quick fix.,
"I remember my very first F3 test I did," he said. "After one day I couldn't hold my neck straight. And then I had to put the padding in, and my dad was laughing at me for using that.
"Since that day I refused to put padding next to my head. I prefer that my head falls off, than running with padding. So it will be the same also this weekend."
Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Alex Albon said he would be mindful of the effects of the G-forces generated by Turn 8.
"I prefer that my head doesn't fall off," he said. "I tend to use more padding than you [Verstappen] do."
Renault's Esteban Ocon was also in favor of the padding to solution to mitigate the corners' effects.
"Turn 8 is going to be quite a challenge," said the Frenchman. "It's probably going to kill the neck on the left side. My engineer asked me if I wanted padding, so I'm going for no padding, so let's try."
Sitting on the other side of the Renault garage, Daniel Ricciardo dismissed beforehand the padding ploy.
"My engineer asked me the same question, I laughed him off, so we'll see if my confidence bites me," said the Aussie.
Finally, Williams' George Russell is expecting Turn 8 to be a "real task" on race day.
"I've learned that it's going to be brutal for us drivers," said the Briton.
"With the current speeds of these modern-day Formula 1 cars, that should be flat, and hopefully for half of the race, it should be flat out.
"I can't remember how long the duration of that corner is, but it's 4-5 G of load, which is like the equivalent of 45 kilos, 50 kilos on our necks that we have to sustain for the six seconds. That's going to be a real task."
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