DECEMBER 13, 2023

Too late to improve current aero rules says FIA

F1's governing body admits it is too late to make tweaks to the new-in-2022 'ground effect' regulations in order to improve overtaking.

Much of the motivation of the new rules was to inspire closer wheel-to-wheel racing with regular passing manoeuvres, but FIA technical boss Nikolas Tombazis admits the cars didn't quite live up to the hype in 2023.

Overtaking has become more difficult because the cars are putting out more bad air to the rear, he is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport.

He says the teams have begun to find ways around the intention of the aerodynamic regulations.

We didn't close some loopholes quickly enough, especially in the area of the front wing endplate and the front brake scoops, said Tombazis. But the turbulence is still significantly less bad than was the case with the 2021 cars.

The bad news is that Tombazis says the FIA will not try to close those loopholes now, with only two more seasons to run until all-new rules debut in 2026.

Closing the loopholes would mean going through the entire decision-making process again. It's too late for that. We can only do better for 2026, he insisted.

The same applies to the floor of the cars, after some suggested a good solution to make the racing better would be to make them a standard part.

We didn't get enough support from the teams for that, he says. But it will be simplified for 2026.
(GMM)