Newey: FIA regulations a “missed opportunity”

This season saw the biggest shakeup in Formula One car design regulations, which are none power unit, related since 2009. The FIA in an attempt to make it easier for cars to follow each other and overtake on track slashed much of the downforce the F1 cars were deriving from the rear of the car. This lost aero was replaced by a re-introduction of “ground effect” principles last used between 1978-1982.

Put simply, ground effect car designs reduce the space between the floor and the asphalt creating a low pressure area underneath the car. This increases the speed with which the air passes which creates downforce even higher than that from a front and rear wing pushing the car onto the track.

As the car is sucked onto the track this increases cornering speeds but the principle proved highly controversial back in the 1980’s and was ultimately banned form Formula One.

Ground effect in F1 discovered by accident

Colin Chapman and his aerodynamics Peter Wright discovered ground effect when designing the Lotus 78 but by accident. As they redesigned the radiators of their F1 car to reduce drag the tests produced extraordinary levels of downforce. It wasn’t the radiators per se that delivered this but the manner in which the car had been re-engineered to accommodate them.

To improve the low pressure under the car, they added skirts to the floor to seal the area off almost completely. The skirts were fitted as low as possible to generate maximum efficiency and the suspension was adapted to ensure the cars literally just skimmed across the track.

Yet of course the surface F1 cars race on is irregular and back in the day even saw the cars run over small potholes. The cars needed to avoid being unbalanced and so avoided kerbs as much as possible because if the air pressure was broken it would result in an isn’t loss of grip and F1 cars were even flipped over.

The tragedies caused by ground effect F1 cars

However, the drivers experienced ‘porposing’ where the cars would bounce as the pressure was unsealed and resealed repeatedly and the cars were a huge physical challenge without the power steering of today. F1 drivers finished races literally exhausted.

The FIA eventually banned ground effect F1 car designs for 1983 following a number of tragic incidents.

In 1978 Ronnie Peterson and Patrick Depailler were both killed in ground effect related crashes as was Gilles Villenueve in 1982 as his car was launched into the air.

René Arnoux ’s ground effect crash in 1980 saw his car launched into the crowd and Didier Pironi’s car also flew through the air crashing with Alain Prost’s Renault breaking both his legs.

So why was ground effect re-introduced into Formula One for 2022 given its unsafe history?

FIA reintroduces ground effect for 2022

Firstly the return of skirts was not included so the teams attempt to achieve the same ‘sealing effect’ the air using aerodynamic devices which do not touch the…