The FIA wanted to curb the growing dirty air problem in the ground effect era of Formula 1 with rule changes, but resistance from the teams stopped this.
During the current rule cycle, the FIA has repeatedly considered making specific changes to the Formula 1 regulations in order to curb the growing problem of “dirty air” (air turbulence). Ultimately, however, these plans failed due to a lack of support from the teams.
The season finale in Abu Dhabi also marked the end of the cycle of ground effect rules introduced in 2022. These rules had three main objectives: better racing through closer following of cars, a closer starting grid, and a sustainable and financially stable Formula 1 in the long term.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Director of Single-Seaters, draws a mixed conclusion in retrospect. Although the premier class has developed in the right direction overall, the FIA man does not want to talk about complete success.
Financial stability as a clear success
“I think we have taken a significant step in the right direction with most of these goals, but I would certainly not claim complete success on all points. So I wouldn’t give us an A, but rather a B or a C or something like that,” Tombazis explains honestly.
He is particularly positive about the financial development of Formula 1. Despite the significantly increased effort involved in monitoring the budget cap, he believes the cost cap is a decisive step forward for the sport.
“I would say quite clearly that today we can no longer imagine not having financial regulations. In that respect, it has been a success.” As a result, Formula 1 is now in a more stable and healthier position overall than it was a few years ago.
Closer racing, but with restrictions
Tombazis also sees progress on a technical level, especially in the first two years of the new regulations: “Yes, the cars have definitely reached a point where they can race more closely together.”
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 simply a little too generously interpreted. And that allowed teams to develop solutions that created an outwash.”
FIA director identifies problem areas
Specifically, Tombazis names several technical areas in which teams increasingly strayed from the original spirit of the rules. “The most important area initially was the end plate of the front wing. This was originally designed as a component with a strong inward flow,” explains the FIA director.
“However, it turned out that the specifications for how the profiles run and transition into the end plate were not strict enough. This led to the profiles in this area becoming strongly outward-flowing,” Tombazis continues.
According to the FIA, other areas of the car also increasingly became 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 performance deviated from the original spirit of the rules.”
The result: significantly more turbulent air and noticeably more difficult driving behind, especially compared to the early stages of the ground effect era in 2022/23, which the FIA and Tombazis still considered satisfactory.
Rule changes planned during the season
According to Tombazis, the FIA’s failure to make adjustments was not due to a lack of will on the part of the world governing body. “The areas I mentioned are nothing new. That was already the case two years ago. Why didn’t we change the rules? Well, we didn’t have enough support from the teams.”
“Changing rules during a cycle requires appropriate decision-making structures. That means a large number of teams have to support certain changes. It’s not enough for just us to want to change something.”
New rules to solve problem areas
Looking ahead to the coming years, however, the FIA’s technical director remains optimistic. The issue of “dirty air” is once again a top priority in the new regulations. “We believe that outwash will be better, of course. But let’s have this discussion in two years’ time, and hopefully we’ll be able to say that everything was fine and we’ll all be smiling,” says Tombazis. Whether this hope will be 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 for the FIA in Formula 1.
