How F1 Teams Broke the Ground Effect Rules
F1's ground effect rules aimed to improve close racing, but teams exploited aerodynamic loopholes to generate outwash, undermining the core objective and making overtaking difficult by 2025.
Formula 1's meticulously designed ground effect regulations of 2022-2025 were intended to revolutionize wheel-to-wheel racing by minimizing aerodynamic wake. However, in their relentless pursuit of performance, teams systematically exploited loopholes to generate outwash, ultimately undermining the rules' primary objective and making it progressively harder to follow and overtake by 2025.
Why it matters:
The entire premise of the 2022 regulatory overhaul was to solve F1's long-standing 'dirty air' problem, which made following another car a nightmare and led to processional races. The failure to maintain 'raceability' means the core spectacle of F1—close on-track battles—was compromised, forcing the FIA to plan further interventions for the 2026 season.
The details:
- Initial Success: In 2022, following saw a massive improvement. A car retained 85% of its downforce at 10 meters behind a rival, compared to just 55% in 2019.
- Gradual Degradation: By 2025, that figure had fallen back to 65%, leading to driver complaints about difficult overtaking.
- The Loopholes: Teams focused on three key areas to create performance-enhancing outwash, which the rules aimed to prevent:
- Front Wing Endplates: Innovations like Mercedes' early 2022 design channeled airflow outwards.
- Floor Edges: The geometry of the underfloor was used to push turbulent air away from the car's sides.
- Brake Duct Winglets: Complex arrays inside the front wheels were used to manage outwash.
- FIA's Pushback: The FIA identified these issues but couldn't implement 2025 tweaks due to a lack of team support, a problem being addressed in the all-new 2026 regulations.
The big picture:
While the regulations faltered on their primary on-track goal, they delivered a resounding success in terms of competitive and financial stability. The competitive gap between the front and back of the grid narrowed to its smallest in the 21st century, largely thanks to two integral measures: the cost cap and the sliding-scale Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions (ATR). These rules curbed a spending war and gave lower-ranked teams more development resources, preventing a single team from buying its way to dominance. This financial health and tighter competition, making more teams viable winners, may prove to be the most important legacy of the ground effect era.