Formula 1 2019 Aero changes

This week significant 2019 Aero changes were announced. These modifications to the Aerodynamic regulations were voted by the teams, the FIA and the Commercial Rights Holder and passed the required percentage of the vote. In response to a somewhat processional Australian GP, there was subsequent discussion between Liberty Media and the FIA, with the hope of fast tracking some proposed changes to the cars for 2021 to next season, improving the ability of drivers to race closely and overtake. The regulation changes are as follows:

Simplified front wing, with a larger span and low outwash potential

Simplified front brake duct with no winglets

Wider and deeper rear wing

Click here to read the official F1 press release

Front Wing

The front wing is one of the most critical Aerodynamic devices on the cars, not only producing front downforce, but also determining the quality of flow to the rear of the car, notably by attempting to minimise the disturbance created by the front tyre. The first 2019 Aero change is a proposal to make the wing wider in span, perhaps to the extent that it will be as large as the overall car width, at 2000 mm (current width – 1800 mm). This will increase the downforce potential of the cars at the front, which could be balanced by greater rear load, but will increase structural considerations for Engineers in the teams.

Most critically, however, the ability to create an outwash effect from the front wing will be diminished, as this is seen to be something which greatly restricts overtaking potential by providing the following car with poor airflow. Currently, there are three main devices on the wing which create an outwash – the arch/tunnel inside the endplate, the endplate itself and the vertical cascade elements.

The arch works by trapping some circulation beneath it, as high pressure air above the wing spills over to its low pressure underside, before attempting to direct to the resulting vortex around the front tyre, decreasing the effect of the wheel on rearward aero performance. As for the endplate, its vertical cross-section creates a vortex which forms along its top surface and travels outward, aiding the curvature of the part itself in pulling flow around the tyre. The vertical cascade elements all have an outwash shape, and produce vortices that flow over the top of the front tyre, reducing its wake, or around the wheel.

Evidence suggests however, that neither the endplate nor the cascade elements are game changers in terms of the wing’s performance – for instance, Esteban Ocon drove an entire race without these elements in the last Malaysian Grand Prix, still managing to pick up a point despite a mid-race spin.

Brake Ducts

The brake ducts in F1 today are highly complex, which consequently results in teams investing a lot of money in these intricate carbon fibre structures. This is because the brake ducts play an important role in guiding oncoming airflow into the brakes, which reduces their temperature and therefore avoids overheating. The ducts can also help dissipate the heat energy from the brakes towards the tyre, helping to increase the tyre carcass temperature into that all important optimum working range. However, the 2019 Aero changes require the removal of these complex aerodynamic devices which could help reduce drag, whilst saving teams money.

At least some of the winglets are designed to keep the front tyre wake from interrupting inboard airflow, something which is particularly visible for the bottom two fins, both of which have an outboard shape which will result in the production of vortices to push the tyre wake outboard.

Rear Wing

Like the front wing, the 2019 Aero changes require a wider rear wing, with a greater depth also apparent. These changes will not have much of an effect on their own except at those tracks where maximum downforce is required, and therefore, more wing than the current maximum will be run. However, it is also thought that there will be a greater DRS effect by making the flap chord greater, something that should improve the racing between cars at circuits with shorter straights, such as Melbourne, Monaco, or Singapore, while those tracks at which overtaking is already at a good level, such as Baku and Spa, will not be affected greatly given the maximum flap chord would not be taken advantage of to the same degree.

Overall, the 2019 Aero changes are a headache for the teams, as some initial 2019 development work will have be discarded, but if studies by Liberty Media, and subsequently the teams, are correct then positive changes should result. However, it should be noted that by making both the front and rear wings larger, the weight of the car will likely rise yet further, from a pure material perspective, but also from needing to attend to the greater deflections from wider parts. At a time when the cars are already too heavy, as commented on by Robert Kubica on his return to the sport after his rally accident, this is perhaps not the best move.