For years, Formula 1 has been seeking to improve safety during races in the rain, not only concerning water drainage from the tires but also regarding visibility behind another car. The water spray generated by the tires and diffusers significantly reduces visibility for drivers trailing behind, posing safety risks. One of the solutions the FIA has been working on in recent months is a splash guard system to be installed in cases of extreme rainfall.
This plan was outlined after the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Abu Dhabi last November, but only last week did some teams have the opportunity to try the devices developed by the Federation. Unfortunately, the first on-track test with these prototypes was not an immediate success.
Nevertheless, it proved to be a valuable exercise for the FIA to have a starting point for further developing the devices, which should not be removed during the Grand Prix, even if the track transitions from wet to dry conditions. The test had two objectives: first, to verify that the prototypes did not excessively disturb the cars’ aerodynamics, and secondly, to explore the role of the diffuser in creating water spray that reduces visibility.
Two teams took part in the test day: Mercedes with Mick Schumacher behind the wheel, equipped with the splash guard systems, and McLaren with Oscar Piastri, who drove without the devices to provide a direct comparison between the two different situations. Furthermore, driving behind Schumacher, Piastri was able to provide feedback directly from the cockpit on the amount of spray produced by the modified car.
The McLaren team did not actively participate in the development of the kits to be installed on the cars, but as explained by Andrea Stella, some teams, including Mercedes, were involved in the design process together with the Federation.
“Obviously, it would have been perfect if everything had worked flawlessly, and we already had a solution to apply in October or something like that,” explained Nicolas Tombazis when asked about the test’s outcome.
“But it wasn’t the case. We are fully committed to making this system work because we believe that sooner or later, it will make the difference between a potentially canceled race or a race that can be held. And I think that if, during its lifespan, it saves one race and 100,000 people [in the stands] from experiencing a situation like Spa in 2021, even if it makes a difference just once, I think it’s worth it,” added the FIA’s Head of Single-Seater Technical Matters, referring to the incident in Belgium two years ago when the race was suspended after three laps behind the Safety Car due to heavy rain.
It was precisely the controversial event at Spa that spurred efforts to reduce spray and improve visibility. The aim is to create something that can be installed on the cars in instances of such intense rain that racing under normal circumstances would not be possible, and it should also remain on the car if the track dries up.
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The creation of the devices tested at Silverstone required a lot of behind-the-scenes work. The prototypes essentially consist of two parts: one covers the upper part of each wheel, while there is a secondary element, placed almost at the level of the lower part of the tires, aimed at deflecting the splashes outward. The entire structure is fixed in a way to move with the wheel, much like the current system that covers the front tires.
The FIA’s Head of Aerodynamics, Jason Sommerville, and his colleagues faced an interesting yet challenging task, which was modeling water droplets. The models developed for road cars provided a useful starting point, but it’s clear that a Formula 1 car can evacuate much more water and at much higher speeds.
“Having started this project towards the end of last year and having done quite a few CFD simulations, we soon realized that it wasn’t as simple as inserting something into the system, starting it, and it’s done,” explains Tombazis.
“First of all, CFD simulations are quite complicated because you also have to simulate water droplets. Secondly, when there are water droplets within the flows, the physics become quite complex. Additionally, in this case, correlation is also necessary because we don’t have a complete understanding of how much water is evacuated from the tires when the rubber touches the ground.”
“Another aspect is that we don’t know exactly the diameter of the droplets, for example. So, the simulation quickly becomes complicated. That’s why we needed on-track correlation.”
The major challenge is to develop a device that can be truly effective without causing significant disruptions to the car and, at the same time, remaining securely attached without flying off at high speeds. As mentioned earlier, the devices will remain on the car even when the track dries up, and the lap times decrease gradually: “We didn’t want to lose performance and spoil the aerodynamics of the cars too much,” Tombazis explains.
“Although to some extent, it’s inevitable. The actual aerodynamic load of these large wheel covers, or whatever you want to call them, if you have full coverage, would be quite high. So, their support on the mountings must be robust enough not to fly off at 300 km/h.”
However, the initial tests did not show a significant impact on reducing water spray, partly because the devices used were relatively small and only covered small parts of the tires. “Personally, I wasn’t very confident that they would work. I thought: is the coverage sufficient? Will it have a sufficient effect? And apparently, they didn’t make a tangible difference. But we got a lot of correlations and a lot of data that we can now correlate more confidently. So, I think it was a useful first test,” Tombazis added.
“However, we are not done with the configuration yet. We need to try again. There is still a lot of exposed wheel. It’s clear that we haven’t confirmed the concept, but I don’t think this is enough to say that it doesn’t work.”
One particularly complicated aspect is the evaluation of the amount of spray generated by the diffuser, a clearly challenging issue to resolve: “It’s an inherent problem with diffusers. But generally, high-performance cars in other categories have less of this problem. So, I’m optimistic, and this indicates that we have a chance. But, as I said, until we quantify it correctly, we need to continue the research and development program.” – he pointed out.
It will probably take a few more months to develop another prototype and organize another test like the one at Silverstone, especially considering that in the second half of the season, the teams will often be on the road for the Asian and overseas races, which means the cars will be constantly traveling. If and when a device is successfully tested and approved, practical considerations will follow regarding how to incorporate it into the regulations. This project doesn’t have a deadline, although initially, the hope was for it to make its official debut in the second half of the current season. However, given that the first test didn’t yield the desired results, everything has been postponed to 2024.
“Once we have something that we believe can tangibly reduce the spray, we’ll need to define the shape, approve it as a technical regulation, and then discuss it,” says Tombazis.
“We’ve already spoken a bit with the teams during the Technical Advisory Committee meeting. We’ll need to discuss how to precisely formulate the regulations to make the installation of this device mandatory. It’s not rocket science, but we’ll need to study it a bit. All cars should be able to fit a device of a prescribed shape. We don’t want to open up another avenue for aerodynamic development.”
“And it would be something that, before or during a race, the race director should say: this needs to happen. If it occurs during the race, of course, there will be a red flag, and the system will be fitted to every car, and then we’ll be back on track. If it’s designed properly, it shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes to fit.” – he continued.
As it’s a standard part, it’s not excluded that the production won’t be assigned to the teams, but there may be a bidding process for supply, as already happens for other parts of the car: “We haven’t ruled it out. It’s possible, but we don’t know if it will be just a prescribed project where everyone has to produce that exact type of piece, or if it will be a bidding process. We haven’t decided yet. Usually, if it’s a bidding process, it’s likely that one team commits to producing them and then sells them to other teams,” explained Tombazis. Currently, for example, Red Bull is in charge of producing the wheel covers, which are then supplied to all the other teams.
Meanwhile, the F1 teams remain supportive: everyone understands that it would be a disaster for the sport to have another situation like Spa 2021 or, even worse, a day when the cars cannot take to the track. “There’s still work to be done. But it’s a problem for which having a solution will be helpful, because I believe the teams and certainly the fans can’t bear to see a race not being run because the conditions are too difficult,” explained Andrew Shovlin of Mercedes, who closely followed the test at Silverstone.
“At the moment, the devices are not yet ready to be produced steadily and included from a regulatory point of view. So, there’s definitely work to be done. They improve the tire spray, but the diffuser continues to release many water droplets, which are then pushed upwards by the force generated by the rear wing.”
“But they are interesting first steps, and we provide the car and some parts for development. It’s the FIA’s project, and they will decide the direction to take and what will happen in the future.”
Inevitably, the teams are concerned about the aerodynamic impact on their cars, but Shovlin agrees that there is a broader picture. “If the loss is the same for everyone, then the extent of the loss doesn’t matter much. Obviously, it needs to make a tangible difference [in how rain is managed]. Moreover, it’s necessary to stop the race to fit these systems, or the race shouldn’t have started to accommodate them. But, as I said, it’s not our project; we’ve been tasked to do the work, make the car work, and it will be the FIA to lead it and decide where the future goes.”
“But the goal of ensuring that the fans who paid to come to the track on Sunday have a race to watch is certainly valid. And I think it’s positive that the sport has these initiatives where it tries to find solutions to the bigger problems.”
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