FLOYD ON F1: Mercedes dropped the ball with new car design

As an F1 scribe of advanced age, I have witnessed numerous changes to the rules and regulations over many seasons – some rather interesting, many incomprehensible, and a number rather dubious.

Most were introduced to improve the sport, but many have created further issues.

The introduction of a new car format this year, designed to create closer racing and more overtaking, has caused issues for a few teams, particularly the previously dominant Mercedes, who are struggling with the 2022 contender, the W13.

By now, you will be aware of the F1 cars’ porpoising and bouncing phenomena and the subsequent heated discussions between team managers to resolve the issues.

Brackley team chief Toto Wolff is at the centre of it, strongly requesting urgent intervention by the FIA to review design issues of the new car believed to be causing the problem and then issue a technical directive allowing a mid-season regulation change.

On the other hand, you have Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Mattia Binotto of Scuderia Ferrari, who both agree such a solution would be unfair to teams who have already found a fix.

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At a team principals’ meeting on Saturday before the Canadian Grand Prix, the proverbial hit the fan, with Wolff claiming Mercedes rivals are being “disingenuous”, playing “political games”, and being guilty of “manipulations in the background”.

Horner has said the problem is a Mercedes issue and not every other F1 team; therefore, introducing an FIA technical directive at this point of the season would punish those teams.

He was reported as saying: “You can’t just suddenly change technical regulations halfway through a season. If a car is dangerous, a team shouldn’t field it. It has that choice. Or if the FIA feel an individual car is dangerous, they always have a black flag at their disposal.”

Another interesting situation is the aerodynamic testing restrictions (ATR) introduced last year in yet another attempt to close the field.

The concept limits the amount of aerodynamic and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) testing available to a team based on its performance, but with a difference – the more successful the team, the less wind tunnel and CFD opportunities you have.

Reviewed at the season halfway point, it produces some interesting results. Mercedes started the year with the lowest amount of both, having won the F1 Constructors title in 2021.

However, due to the recent drop in performance results, the German team will now be eligible for an additional 32 tests of new aero parts in the tunnel and 200 extra CFD items. Unfortunately, due to improved performance so far this season, Ferrari, Red Bull and Alfa Romeo will have less time, Alfa losing 48 wind tunnel runs and 300 CFD items.

I understand the concept, but it is rather odd to punish the innovation of F1 engineers.

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