The Complex Generation of F1 Cars: A Puzzle on the Track

The 2022 technical rule overhaul in Formula One created a seismic shift in aerodynamic bias, placing greater emphasis on the underside of cars to generate a staggering 60% of total downforce. This radical change has brought about an intriguing conundrum for teams, as they grapple with issues such as porpoising and bouncing.

Behind runaway champion Red Bull, the competitive order has been anything but predictable. Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes have all taken turns being labeled as the second-fastest team throughout the season. The lack of consistency between different types of circuits has been a major challenge for these teams.

Fernando Alonso, two-time F1 champion and current driver for Aston Martin AMR23, believes that this fluctuating performance is indicative of the new era’s machinery being incredibly difficult to set up and understand. He points out that even providing feedback to the team becomes more challenging than ever before.

In Alonso’s own words: “[The cars are] definitely more difficult to set up, more difficult to understand. Even more difficult to give feedback to the team… Sometimes we drive these cars and we feel everything is going OK. You stop and you see the standings and maybe you are P14.”

This unpredictability can be attributed not only to aerodynamics but also how suspension setups need to be low and stiff in order to maximize ground effects. Getting this delicate relationship right demonstrates just how complex contemporary cars have become; their intricacies can baffle drivers at times.

Alonso further explains: “You miss a little bit what the car is giving you in terms of feedback – what is the real balance of the car, what is the tyre interaction against the aerodynamic interaction, against the suspension and mechanical grip? All these three parameters are a little bit confused sometimes in your hands and in your body. I think it’s a very complex generation of cars.”