Controversial aerodynamic decisions and FIA position

For the second season in a row, teams have come up with ingenious but controversial solutions when upgrading their cars’ aerodynamic body kits. Some FIA ​​allow the use, others prohibit – whichever criteria the federation is guided by, said Mark Hughes, an expert on the championship’s official website.

Sometimes solutions appear on cars that seem to contradict the main idea of ​​the technical regulations that came into force last season. This idea was to increase the intensity of on-track duels and the spectacle of racing, by reducing the impact of the turbulence zone that forms behind the car and preventing drivers from chasing rivals.

However, in an effort to improve chassis efficiency, aerodynamicists think the least about how their decisions will affect the nature of the battle on the track. As always, they are only interested in speed gains. One of the consequences of this approach is the inevitable decrease in the effectiveness of the current regulations.

The FIA ​​is trying to keep track of all this as the federation has obtained all the data both in the wind tunnel and on track. So far the federation is not too worried as there are some changes but they are not that significant.

“The objective data we have showed how much the flow is disturbed in the turbulence zone behind the car,” explained Tim Goss, FIA technical director. – As a result, we see how this affects the level of aerodynamic load.

We know how the previous generation cars influenced this, we know what indicators we wanted to achieve because all this was calculated before the teams started developing the next generation chassis. We also know that these numbers will drop slightly as machines are upgraded.

And we see that the teams have already somewhat offset the losses, but the numbers still look better than before.

Three types of decisions appeared on different machines, affecting the formation of a turbulence zone that interferes with the chase, although not too much so far.

End plate edges with complex recesses

Mercedes was the first to use this solution in Miami last year, after which its interpretations appeared on cars from Red Bull and Alfa Romeo.

The 2022 regulations stipulated that the surface of the front wing face must merge directly into the end plates. It was assumed that with this shape of the wing, the airflow would mainly remain above it and would not change direction and diverge to the sides.

While the endplates help the wing generate downforce more efficiently, ideally teams want some kind of compromise so that some of the power is directed to the area forward of the side pontoons.

Mercedes’ solution made it possible to comply with the letter of the regulation, but at the same time the airflow was partially diverted to the sides of the wing. This has already had some negative effect on the turbulence behind the car.

Rounded corners on rear wing endplates

As with the front wing, the rules require that the rear wing surface be continuous and extend into the endplate area, effectively prohibiting angular endplates that generate aerodynamic vortices.

But Aston Martin came up with a witty interpretation of this provision of the regulations, giving the upper wing tips a rounded shape, presented such a solution in the Hungarian phase of the championship and applied it until the end of the season.

Then it was considered legal, but in 2023 the regulations were changed, making such decisions illegal.

“Sometimes the rules are formulated in such a way that they allow for decisions that are on the verge of legality,” said Nicolas Tombasis, director of the FIA’s single-seater series. – In that case, we consider it possible to adjust the criteria on the basis of which we interpret the scheme or to explain these criteria.

Sometimes we find it appropriate to present these changes at a specific time, such as next year. But in other cases, even if we don’t like a solution, but if it doesn’t violate the requirements of the regulations, we won’t come up with a reason why it can be banned.

We cannot unilaterally change the rules. If we don’t get the support of the majority of the teams, then we have to agree with some decisions and they stay on the machines.”

That’s why the Mercedes front wing was not banned and the crafty Aston Martin rear wing banned.

Aerodynamic separators between wing surfaces

Last year, the Mercedes team brought a front wing to Austin, where specially shaped separators were placed between the planes, which clearly diverted airflow from the car. But this wing was not used in racing, because such a decision did not suit the technical department of the FIA, as it directly contradicted the main idea of ​​​​the new regulations.

Later, however, the federation agreed that the wording in the regulations was imperfect, after which it was amended. Now only the geometric dimensions that this area must meet are indicated there. Therefore, separators, which also give a certain aerodynamic effect, are now considered legal. For example, a similar solution can be seen this year on the front wing of a Ferrari car.