Many F1 races receive criticism for the decreased number of overtakes due to the narrow or difficult layout of the circuits. While the Drag Reduction System (DRS) helps to overtake, some of the tracks’ layout nullifies the effect of DRS. Thus, the FIA is looking to remove DRS from F1 cars and introduce active aerodynamics to enable more overtaking in the 2026 regulations era. However, this is a change F1 journalist Peter Windsor doesn’t like, as he feels it would make things “worse”.
Speaking on his YouTube livestream, Windsor said, “It makes it worse I think. Because they have got even more artificial aero on the car. They need to get rid of it altogether.” The former Ferrari manager believes there is no need for the FIA and F1 to persist in having more overtakes in every race, as that is not the measure of a good race.
Windsor gave an example of how the FIA’s thought process is wrong, “‘You gotta have as many overtakes as possible. That is the judge of a good race. If it’s got 47 overtakes, it’s gotta be better than a race than that’s only got five. Because that’s complete rubbish.”
Some more images of the cars that will be 30kg lighter, 200m shorter and 100m narrower.
Active aero means high downforce in corners, then low drag on straights #F1 pic.twitter.com/uH14q4e0ho
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) June 6, 2024
He feels that a race having only five overtakes could be “unbelievable” and hard-earned by drivers after exerting pressure for several laps. Meanwhile, there have been races at tracks like Spa-Francorchamps, where multiple overtakes have taken place due to the double effect of slipstream and the DRS down the Kemmel straight with relative ease.
Windsor believes just having active aero and an overtaking mode that enables more overtakes won’t necessarily equate to great racing. Besides, at times, the battle in the build-up of an overtake is many a time more exciting than the actual overtake itself.
Regardless, the FIA is going ahead with the 2026 active aero regulations, where the cars will have movable aero parts on the front and rear wings. This is a concept that has a lot of risky nuances as per the testing and simulations done so far.
How the 2026 active aero concept will work in F1?
The 2026 active aero concept has received immense criticism in the F1 community following the reports of fundamental risks such as cars spinning out and losing cornering speeds when the active aero parts are activated. Despite these concerns, the FIA gave the green light for the active aero regulations.
They stated that they are finding ways to address the concerns that the teams have with this concept. The active aero parts of the front and rear wings of the car will be movable in multiple modes.
There is a standard Z-mode that will keep the wing elements at an angle to optimize cornering speeds. Meanwhile, the X-mode is a low-drag configuration that changes the flap angles on both wings to maximize the straight-line speed.
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 6, 2024
Naturally, the X-mode will be allowed on straights mainly where a low downforce mode is safe to drive. Whether these different modes with movable aero parts will aid better racing or not, only time will tell.
However, as mentioned earlier, the risks of having a new concept always exist in a new regulation era, as seen with the porpoising effect with the ground effect cars in 2022. Regardless, these active aero modes have nothing to do with the ERS deployment from the electrical elements of the power unit.
The ERS battery power will remain as it is, with increased capacity per the new 2026 engine regulations. This can help drivers overtake and attack as usual.
