In the factories, teams are working on the 2024 Formula 1 single-seaters, already defined in basic architectures but constantly evolving in terms of aerodynamic development. This is particularly influenced by the end-of-season results of individual teams. Introduced in 2021, the aerodynamic handicap mechanism assigns each team a pool of hours for wind tunnel analysis inversely proportional to their position in the constructors’ championship standings of the previous season. With the conclusion of the 2023 Formula 1 world championship, it is now possible to derive the tables with aerodynamic resources for the first half of the new year.
The Parameters
The aerodynamic handicap is defined in various parameters. The use of the wind tunnel, for example, is regulated in the overall time of occupation, the number of tests that can be carried out, and the hours of Wind on Time. This parameter refers to the time when the airspeed in the tunnel is above 15 m/s, i.e., 54 km/h. The sporting regulations also define a series of formulas to regulate computerized analyses using CFD, taking into account the time and processors used for each simulation.
The values are valid for the period from January 1st to June 24th, 2024. After that date, the tables will be recalculated based on the current constructors’ standings after the Spanish Grand Prix. The benchmarks for the wind tunnel are 1200 hours of occupation, 960 tests, and 240 hours of Wind on Time. The winner of the 2023 world championship, Red Bull, will benefit from 70% of the reported values. It is worth noting that the Milton Keynes team has already served the penalty for the budget cap violation in 2021, which had limited their aerodynamic resources to 63% until last October.
The 2024 Tables
In the first half of 2024, Mercedes will enjoy 75% of the benchmark parameters, Ferrari 80%, and so on up to 115% assigned to Haas, the last in the standings. Translated into numbers, the Maranello team will be able to use 120 hours, 96 tests, and 24 hours of Wind on Time more than Red Bull. However, the advantage becomes even more significant when analyzing McLaren, which, compared to the world champions, will benefit from 180 hours of occupation, 144 tests, and 36 hours of Wind on Time more.
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| Wind tunnel hours | Number of tunnel tests | Wind on Time (hours) | |
| Red Bull | 840 | 672 | 168 |
| Mercedes | 900 | 720 | 180 |
| Ferrari | 960 | 768 | 192 |
| McLaren | 1020 | 816 | 204 |
| Aston Martin | 1080 | 864 | 216 |
| Alpine | 1140 | 912 | 228 |
| Williams | 1200 | 960 | 240 |
| AlphaTauri | 1260 | 1008 | 252 |
| Alfa Romeo | 1320 | 1056 | 264 |
| Haas | 1380 | 1104 | 276 |
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