F1 2022 TECH
It’s not what you see…
…It’s what’s underneath that counts. Mark Hughes explains why bottom tweaks can be more cost-effective than a nose job
For all that we are towards the end of the season, there is a cost cap in place and although wind tunnels are generally devoted now to the 2023 cars, there has still been a steady flow of new aero development parts arriving on the cars. With the exception of Alfa Romeo, which introduced an all-new front wing in Suzuka, these new parts are invariably changes to the floors.
Even this late in the season teams continue with aero changes. For
Singapore McLaren brought a fresh sidepod/ floor combination
Under these ground-effect regulations the floor is more powerful than ever and in the first year there still seems to be low-hanging fruit to be found, especially now that there is a fuller appreciation of how it is the downforce created when the ride height is not at its lowest which is the most crucial to lap time.