F1 is divided: “The current rules are not a failure, but…”

Since the first testing sessions in Bahrain, several drivers complained that the negative effect of dirty air when following another car was even worse than last season. A thought that is certainly not unanimous within the paddock, also because it is influenced by the characteristics of the various single-seaters.

Both the Ferraristi and the Williams drivers, for example, underlined how compared to last year, it is easier for them to follow other cars compared to last season, but this is largely due to the fact that both the SF-24 and the FW46 we have made big steps forward in managing the aerodynamic map.

On the other hand, however, there are riders who have decisively underlined the deteriorations compared to 2023, such as Sergio Perez. After the race in Bahrain, the Mexican had raised the alarm by noting how the level of difficulty in following other cars in dirty air was drastically increasing, to the point of bringing to mind that of 2021, the last year of the previous era of F1 single-seaters. A thought also shared by Zhou Guanyu, who on the eve of the Jeddah weekend had hypothesized that, to complete an overtaking, an average speed difference between the two cars of around eight tenths was needed.

The current aerodynamic package, introduced in 2022, aimed to make it easier to follow another car, hoping this would also help increase overtaking. At least initially, the new regulations contributed to improving the situation, making it easier to stay in the slipstream: clearly, however, there is a big difference between being able to stay behind another single-seater even at short distances, one of the great problems of last generation, and then be able to attack another car.

The growing difficulty is partly due to two different aspects. The first directly concerns the growth in load values ​​on single-seaters from year to year: the more aerodynamically refined the cars become season after season, the greater the load loss will be when remaining in the slipstream of another car. When you start working on the details, some advanced solutions will no longer be as effective as in the first year of the technical cycle. Undoubtedly this is nothing new, also because in the past we have repeatedly seen greater difficulty in following other drivers as the cars became more complex from an aerodynamic point of view.

This was also one of the reasons why, for example, we opted for the 2009 revolution, with much simpler and cleaner single-seaters. The basic principles of this technical cycle are different, given that a lot of focus was placed on ground effect to solve the problem, but some elements remain constant over time. In the future it will clearly be possible to work to reduce the negative effects of the slipstream as much as possible but, unless the cars remain more or less the same or there is a highly limited set of rules in terms of developments and areas of intervention, over the course of a cycle technical this theme will continue to arise again.

On the other hand, focusing more on this generation of cars, there are aspects also linked to certain freedoms granted by the FIA ​​which have allowed the engineers to be more aggressive in the search for outwash, such as on the front wings. All this also has a negative impact on the possibility of closely following another car, further dirtying the trail.

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The topic of promoting overtaking will also be addressed in the 2026 rules, which are still being defined, with a first draft expected to arrive by June. On this technical cycle, however, there are different considerations on the part of the technicians, who have evaluated the effectiveness of this regulation.

“I don't think the regulations have failed. I think it would be completely unfair. I think the competition is quite close in the middle of the pack, with quite a few overtaking,” explained James Vowles.

“I think that, even based on the data that we can see now, [l’effetto dell’aria sporca] is even better than the cars of the 2020 and 2021 generations. But, above all, the former have developed the car in an extraordinary way, so much so that, as it takes on and develops load, it becomes more difficult to follow them. But I think that, based on all the metrics and all the data that we can see, it is easier to follow than before, as was the intention of the initial regulations”, added the Williams Team Principal, underlining that the primary objective was to make it easier to stay in dirty air.

Mike Krack, Aston Martin Team Principal, supported Vowles' opinion on the current aerodynamic regulations. “I agree with James [Vowles], I think the regulations are not a failure at all. I think it allowed for different designs from the beginning, although then there was a dominance that none of us want, but that's a fact. But honestly, I think the current regulations are well made and well implemented. We saw fun races behind the reference team.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 George Russell, Mercedes F1

Photo credit: Mark Sutton

On the other hand, there are also technicians who have also highlighted “errors” on the part of the FIA ​​in the drafting of this regulatory set, not so much for the domination of a single team, but rather because in attempting to reduce the negative effects of the air dirty the governing body has paid little attention to other aspects, including the behavior of the tires.

“I don't necessarily think that [i regolamenti] have failed because there is domination by one team, because our job is to try to beat them. But there are things in the regulations that are not good for any of us,” explains James Allison.

“I don't think it makes sense to have cars that go as far into the ground as these cars. And the idea that you get a more lively race by controlling the contrails and ignoring the tire issue… The idea of ​​controlling the contrails is a challenge to which a lot of attention has already been paid, but that aspect has been studied until at the limit now. Red Bull is doing a good job and the rest of us have a duty to do a better job.”

With the FIA ​​working on new regulations for 2026, Mercedes' technical director believes lessons must be learned from what hasn't worked in recent years. “I don't think there's anything wrong with ground-effect cars. But the particular characteristics of these cars, which have a rear ride height response that's not particularly easy to manage, is not something we should bring into the [regolamento] 2026”, added Allison, underlining how the issue of managing ground clearance is all too critical, especially considering that there are teams, including Mercedes, who are experiencing difficulties from this point of view.