These Mercedes and Aston Martin innovations will be banned in 2023
Formula 1 is the motor sport discipline that pushes the limits. Sometimes, however, certain innovations run counter to the regulations. For 2023, the FIA will be banning some elements brought in by Mercedes and Aston Martin this season.
The new regulations introduced in 2022 in Formula 1 have given birth to completely new cars. These cars primarily rely on ground effect to generate aerodynamic downforce and are equipped with 18-inch tires. However, some aerodynamic elements were observed that contradicted the philosophy of these new regulations. They hindered the cars’ aerodynamic performance with more disturbances.
The front wing of the W13.
Mercedes has made numerous improvements this season in an attempt to increase the performance of their car. During the Miami Grand Prix, the German team introduced a new front wing, which had the particularity of having forward-pushed flaps with an aggressive angle, and the rear of the endplate was detached. The goal was to be able to utilize a larger portion of the air release phenomenon, which was less present with these new cars.
The rear spoiler of the Aston Martin.
Aston Martin has made progress this year by making numerous modifications to its car. However, one of the elements used this season has sparked many debates. Indeed, during the Hungarian Grand Prix, the British team introduced a new rear wing that strongly resembled those from previous seasons. There was almost a right angle at the point where the main plane and the endplate met. Aston Martin aimed to generate more aerodynamic downforce with this rear wing. However, this concept hinders overtaking as the car creates more dirty air with this shape of rear wing.
The FIA’s sanction
The FIA allowed both teams to use these developments this season, but in order to reduce the exploitation of gray areas, they have decided to be stricter by prohibiting these two wings introduced this season. Nikola Tombazis, the FIA’s Director of Single-Seaters, states: “The rules have changed in different ways, both at the front and rear of the car, to put an end to these solutions.”
The Director of Performance at Aston Martin, Tom McCullough, understands the decision by the FIA. The latter does not go against technical development and pushes teams to work harder to extract performance.
I understand, our job is to always make the most of the rules and, if they change, we must adapt.
