During the current regulatory cycle, the FIA has repeatedly considered intervening specifically in the Formula 1 regulations in order to curb the increasing problem of “dirty air”. Ultimately, however, these plans failed due to a lack of support from the teams.
The season finale in Abu Dhabi marked the end of the cycle of ground effect rules introduced in 2022. These pursued three central goals: better racing by following the cars more closely, a closer starting field and a long-term sustainable and financially stable Formula 1.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA director for single-seaters, draws a mixed conclusion in retrospect. Although the premier class as a whole has developed in the right direction, the FIA man does not want to speak of complete success.
Financial stability as a clear success
“I think we’ve made a significant step in the right direction on most of these goals, but I certainly wouldn’t claim complete success on all counts. So I wouldn’t give us an A, but rather a B or a C or something like that,” explains Tombazis honestly.
He is particularly positive about the financial development of Formula 1. Despite the significantly increased effort in monitoring the budget limit, the cost cap is a decisive step forward for the sport.
“I would say very clearly that today we can no longer imagine not having financial regulations. In that respect, it was a success.” As a result, Formula 1 is overall more stable and healthier than it was a few years ago.
Tighter racing, but with limitations
Tombazis also sees progress on a technical level, especially in the first two years of the new regulations: “Yes, the cars definitely got to a point where they could drive closer to each other.”
At the same time, he admits that the regulations left too much leeway in several areas. “Where we don’t give ourselves full marks is the fact that there were some areas – I wouldn’t necessarily call them loopholes – but certain parts of the regulations were just a bit too generous. And that allowed the teams to develop solutions that created an outwash.”
FIA director identifies problem areas
Specifically, Tombazis names several technical areas in which teams increasingly moved away from the original spirit of the rules. “The most important area was initially the end plate of the front wing. This was originally designed as a component with strong inward flow,” explains the FIA director.
“However, it turned out that the specifications for how the profiles run and merge into the end plate were not strict enough. This resulted in the profiles in this area becoming very outward flowing,” continued Tombazis.
According to the FIA, other vehicle zones also became increasingly the focus of developers: “Another area that was heavily exploited was the design of the attachments on the inside of the front wheel. And I would also say that the edges of the underbody fall into this category. These were the main areas where the performance moved away from the original spirit of the rules.”
The result: significantly more turbulent air and noticeably more difficulty following behind, especially compared to the initial phase of the 2022/23 ground effect era, which was rated as satisfactory by the FIA and Tombazis.
Rule changes planned for the season
According to Tombazis, the fact that the FIA did not readjust was not due to a lack of will on the part of the world association. “These areas that I mentioned are nothing new. That was the case two years ago. Why didn’t we change the rules? Well, we didn’t have enough support among the teams.”
“Changing rules during a cycle requires appropriate decision-making structures. This means that a large number of teams have to support certain changes. It is not enough that we are the only ones who want to change something.”
New rules are intended to solve problem areas
However, the FIA technical director is optimistic about the coming years. The issue of “dirty air” is once again given top priority in the new regulations. “With outwash, of course we believe that it will be better. But let’s have this discussion in two years, and hopefully then we will be able to say that everything was fine and we are all smiling,” says Tombazis.
Whether this hope is fulfilled remains to be seen on the track. However, one thing is already clear: the balancing act between technical freedom, fair competition and good racing remains one of the biggest challenges in Formula 1 for the FIA.