The changes to the power unit regulations are not the only major update included in Formula 1’s new technical rules. The FIA has also revised the suspension section of the regulations, adding several new articles to clarify exactly what teams will and will not be allowed to do. The governing body rarely introduces such detailed rule changes without good reason, raising speculation that one or more teams may have been developing innovative solutions that the FIA has now decided to outlaw.
How the regulations are changing
The first version of the 2027 Formula 1 Technical Regulations includes almost an entire extra page dedicated to suspension systems. The FIA had already simplified the mechanical side of the cars with the 2022 regulations by banning devices like inerters and gas springs. For 2027, however, the Federation has gone a step further by explicitly prohibiting any suspension component whose response does not depend solely on the speed or position of the suspension rods.
More specifically, components whose behaviour is influenced by a particular excitation frequency, by the car’s accelerations, or by the acceleration of the suspension rods themselves will no longer be permitted.
The FIA has taken an especially strict approach regarding dampers. For components that react to the movement of an individual wheel, for example, there will be a maximum damping coefficient of 10 within a specified range of compression or rebound speeds.
Anti-pitch dampers, meanwhile, will be required to feature a damping coefficient that increases as the ride height decreases, but it must not exceed twice its initial value. Finally, the FIA will require every team to provide all the documentation necessary to demonstrate compliance with the new technical regulations, including graphs showing the damping coefficient curves of the dampers used on the car.
The possible reasons behind the changes
History suggests that the FIA rarely amends its regulations without a clear justification. Since these changes are unrelated to safety, it is reasonable to assume that one or more teams may have invested in sophisticated or expensive suspension concepts that the Federation has chosen to restrict before they become widespread.
Although the 2026-generation cars do not need to run as close to the ground as the former ground-effect machines, they still operate at lower ride heights than the pre-2022 generation. Modern Formula 1 cars also face the challenge of keeping ride height stable through high-speed sections with the wings in their low-drag configuration, where the enormous aerodynamic load pushes the car towards the asphalt and increases plank wear.
For that reason, it would come as no surprise if some teams had developed systems designed to control this behaviour more effectively. However, under the FIA’s revised suspension regulations, such solutions will have to be abandoned from the 2027 Formula 1 season onwards.
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