Ground effect, a step back in 2026: semi-flat floor, rake, and less stiff mechanical setups for F1 cars

09/07/2024 05:29 AM

Less than a season and a half remains before the new regulatory cycle of Formula 1 begins. Since June, the first draft of the upcoming technical regulations has been public, although the basic concept of the new cars was not explained. Nikolas Tombazis explains how the 2026 Formula One cars will continue to exploit ground effect, and reveals new details about overtaking methods and the use of active aerodynamics.

The return of the rake

The next generation of F1 cars will continue to use ground effect more than it was until 2021, but without reaching the extremes of the current cars. Nikolas Tombazis explains: “The cars will have a flatter floor compared to the current regulations. However, the percentage of downforce generated by the floor will remain very high. The Venturi channels won't have the strong curvature of today's cars, but ground effect will remain important.” – he added.

The semi-flat floor and the 'downgrading' of ground effect will encourage teams to raise the rear height. This will bring back the "rake" setups from the old regulations, used to generate more aerodynamic downforce by expanding the exit section of the diffuser. This will eliminate the need for extremely stiff mechanical setups, as stabilizing the floor just millimeters from the asphalt will no longer be required.

Nikolas Tombazis continues: “One of the reasons we are moving toward a flatter [floor] shape is to allow the rear of the car to be raised slightly, softening the mechanical suspension settings and eliminating bouncing. Current cars run very low, while those before 2021 were much higher. We want a middle ground, with moderate height.” This choice also justifies the lack of a return for inertial dampers, which are useful in reducing vibrations. However, this need is expected to decrease due to reduced sensitivity to porpoising in cars that will run higher.

Override and active aerodynamics

The 2026 Formula One regulations also include other innovations. The first is the extension of active aerodynamics to the front wing, allowing free adjustment on all straights to reduce drag and lower consumption of the new power units, which are particularly energy-hungry. The tool to support overtaking will become the override mode, a more aggressive mapping for electric power delivery compared to what is normally allowed.

“These are aspects of the sporting regulations, which are still under discussion,” commented the FIA's single-seater director. “Activation of the override mode will be similar to the current DRS, depending on whether the car is within a second of the one ahead. Active aerodynamics, however, will be usable on straights and will be at the driver's discretion, regardless of whether they are ahead or behind another car.”

Nikolas Tombazis emphasizes that the override mode will only be usable by the attacker and in predefined zones, similar to the current DRS, so it will not fully replicate the push-to-pass model.

Balance to preserve

The goal of the upcoming regulations is to quickly recover the current balance achieved in the third year of the ground-effect regulations, whose merits, according to Nikolas Tombazis, are shared between the introduction of the budget cap and stricter technical rules: “It's hard to separate the two factors, as both have an impact. I believe this outcome is the result of their combination. We can't attribute particular credit to one or the other.”

“Paradoxically, a more complex technical regulation is needed to achieve simpler car designs. In the past, anything could be done within the control volumes. Now, there are also limits on curvatures and sections, meaning some daring solutions are no longer possible. It's not just about control volumes but the entire context of the third chapter of the technical regulations.” A model the Federation is looking to further refine ahead of the next cycle: “We are still learning things in the current regulations. Some we believe we have sorted for 2026, when I'm optimistic that the competition will be even better, both in terms of the variety of winners and the ability of cars to run close to each other.”

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