Massa: Cars will be going sideways

Felipe Massa

Fans could be in for a spectacle this season as Felipe Massa reckons F1 will see a "lot of sideways" action.

A host of new regulations have been introduced for this year's Championship which include changes to the engines, the aerodynamics and the position of the exhaust.

Those changes have resulted in more torque for the 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engines and less downforce. Put those two together and fans can expect to see cars sliding.

"We will see a lot of sideways this year," Massa explained to ESPN.

"I think, for sure, you are going to see the cars sliding more because you have less grip.

"With less grip and more torque sometimes, in the corner, you go sideways because of torque steer. You have wheelspin where the car slides more.

"But," he added, "it is never very good to go sideways, to be honest, because you are losing time. You need to learn to drive as smooth as possible."