The Formula 1 of change is still shrouded in a blanket of mystery: what will the ground-effect single-seaters be like? They will be very different from the model that the FIA and the FOM showed us in July before the British GP, a model that each team then revisited with its own colors (except for Ferrari!).
The objective that the legislators have set themselves (in the drafting of the regulation the International Federation has entrusted to a Liberty Media working group directed by Pat Symonds and supervised the Ross Brawn the aerodynamic definition of the single-seaters) is to favor that an F1 that it follows in the wake another one does not lose too much front aerodynamic load, to allow more attempts to overtake and facilitate the show.
After the extraordinary world championship that ended in December in Abu Dhabi with the challenge between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton which ended on the last lap, observers hope that this result will actually be achieved.
Nikolas Tombazis, technical manager of the FIA single-seater area, is sure of it: “Looking ahead, we aim to have close performances, with close track fights, thanks to the new aerodynamic shape of the cars. Those put in place seem to us to be adequate solutions to allow prolonged battles on the track without the tires being subject to high overheating and degradation, due to the loss of grip induced by the turbulent wake of the car in front “.
The reasoning is flawless: with the reintroduction of the ground effect with two Venturi channels on the sides of the body, we want to make the F1 cars less sensitive to the aerodynamic influence of the upper part of the car. The efficiency of the wings (front and rear) has been reduced and the abolition of turning vanes under the nose, of the barge boards and of the flow deviators on the sides of the bellies, forces the designers to look for different solutions to feed both the side pontoons. than the huge rear diffuser.
And, then, to make this revolution more understandable, let’s try to schematize in a very succinct way where the change dictated by Nikolas Tombazis and Pat Symonds starts.
The distribution of downforce on the 2021 single-seaters
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The single-seaters until 2021 were characterized by an ability to generate downforce that was equally distributed along the car: one third of the vertical thrust was generated from the front, a third from the bottom and the last third from the rear.
The front wing, therefore, had a great influence in conditioning performance, because together with turning vanes and barge boards it had the ability to generate a lot of load: 50% was lost in the wake due to the harmful turbulence created by the previous F1 capable of generate vortices that greatly condition the flow of those behind.
The effect was that drivers had to contend with increasing understeer caused in part by the loss of downforce and in part by the inevitable overheating of the tires which resulted in more rapid wear.
The downforce distribution on the 2022 ground effect single-seater
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The idea was to limit the range of the wings (front and rear) by reducing their efficiency: at a completely theoretical level, therefore, a regulation was devised so that the F1 generates the downforce in a different way: 25% at the front, 50% with the bottom of the car and the remaining 25% in the rear.
By increasing the influence of the background, thanks to the ground effect, there is a well-founded hope that the machines can run closer to create a more lively and prolonged show. It is no coincidence that Pirelli had the mandate to develop 18-inch tires that allow the riders to push throughout the entire stint of the race, without having to “save” tires as has happened in recent years.
The expectation of the legislator was to limit the front load loss to only 10% when a car was in the wake: in reality the target sought was too ambitious and, probably, a half-way solution will be found.
It is no coincidence that Nikolas Tombazis is starting to get his hands on: “Surely during the season the FIA will have to evaluate the solutions with which the teams intend to develop the cars, but our yardstick on their acceptability will be that which is not concepts that produce an increase in the turbulence in the wake as an effect “.
In short, the new F1 cars will not have to generate vortices as the 2021 single-seaters did in an exasperated way, but given the constraints (already very prescriptive of the regulation), the designers will look for ways to create “pneumatic skirts” to seal the Venturi channels to the asphalt. and increase downforce and will draw on all the knowledge they have accumulated over the years.
“It is unthinkable that the FIA could reject ideas on the principle of the regulation – said a designer who wished to remain anonymous – if they respect the rules to the letter as they were written, they will have to be accepted. I expect a lot of disputes and it will end up seeing more lawyers from the teams in the paddock than we might expect. Until we understand which will be the best way of developing F1, we will see many phases… turbulent ”.
Render of Williams 2022
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