When the new Formula 1 single-seaters hit the track in Barcelona tomorrow morning, the premier category of motorsport will officially enter a new era that everyone hopes will be exciting.
One of the key reasons that led to the birth of the new ground-effect single-seaters is to have more exciting races. The leaders of F1, in fact, hope that this new generation of car will be able to give more exciting battles on the track and attract an ever-increasing audience.
At the heart of this revolution, however, there is something more important: to create a sport that is exciting for the riders themselves. They, as well as the fans, have never really loved the cars with which it was very difficult to overtake.
Going back to the origins of how the new technical regulation came about, one of the strongest pushes for this revolution came from the riders. It was in fact the GPDA, under president Alex Wurz, that met and wrote to the heads of Liberty Media shortly after the takeover of Formula 1 at the end of 2017.
In that letter, as Wurz himself explained, the pilots highlighted how the previous aerodynamic philosophy of the old single-seaters went against the idea of close duels and therefore something had to be done to safeguard the sport.
“We (the GPDA) worked on a document to present to the new owners, and this coincided with Ross Brawn and Pat Symons joining Liberty Media,” explained Wurz.
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
“We knew there was a chance to initiate a change and we sent our letter to Liberty, the teams and the FIA to request a study to change the aerodynamic rules. We asked them to analyze a concept with aerodynamics that would allow the pilots to be able to follow each other closely ”.
Wurz, known for his technical qualities and analytical insights, knew that a scientific approach was needed to help F1 leaders choose the correct path.
“Those who follow a single-seater always suffer from a dirty trail. This results in a loss of grip and, consequently, in the inability to drive at close range. This is why aerodynamics have been the enemy of overtaking and fighting on the track for decades ”.
“Over the years, sport has tried to find solutions, but these were only attempts and not concepts developed from scratch”.
“The letter written by us drivers was not the result of scientific work, but it represented a clear request to help Formula 1 to have confidence in its research”.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Ferrari
“I think the new rules have been a great example of how the four main forces (F1, FIA, team and GPDA) have aligned themselves to work jointly on medium and long term goals. The new rules are the first step, but we must be realistic about what we can and what we cannot expect ”.
This final comment must be evaluated with great attention because according to Wurz it is unlikely that the new rules will give the desired results from the first race. According to the Austrian, an initial adjustment period will be required.
“When the best drivers compete against each other making very few mistakes and are behind the wheel of similarly performing cars, then overtaking will never be easy. I hope no one expects to see hundreds of overtakes at each race, but in the long term we will have more leveled track values ”.
“Overtaking is always an act of skill and courage and for this reason we all love a naturally overtaking rather than ten or more artificial overtaking made with the DRS.”
“I think that initially a team will be able to better interpret the new rules and have an advantage, but even if the values on the field in 2022 are confused, I am sure that the new regulation is a key element for a better future of F1”.
“Once all the teams understand the rules we will have closer values on the pitch and more exciting races. We need to be realistic and patient “.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: McLaren
According to Wurz, then, there will also be indirect benefits resulting from the new regulation that will transform the nature of the races.
“If all the cars are close together, then it will be even more difficult to predict the overall strategy. Previously, in fact, the top teams knew that after 15-20 laps they had a window to make a pit stop in complete safety thanks to the advantage of their performance ”.
“Now if this window does not open, strategy planning could become much more complex and this is a welcome side effect. This represents what the drivers have always asked for: an F1 that is a sport and not a prefabricated show ”.
“The closer the values are, the more exciting F1 will become. This is something we have already seen with the tremendous growth in popularity aided by factors such as the openness of teams and drivers to social media, and the possibility that they communicate outside traditional channels. We let the riders shine unlike in previous decades ”.
Now everyone’s attention is focused on what will happen on the track starting from tomorrow when the first test session in Barcelona kicks off.
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