Ten races, ten victories. Red Bull, even at the Silverstone circuit in the British Grand Prix, asserted its dominance and secured both Formula 1 championships. Max Verstappen has a 99-point advantage over his teammate ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the Austrian team leads with 411 points, a whopping 208 points ahead of a Mercedes team that has been lapped and technically humiliated.
Behind the untouchable RB19, there is a world of teams struggling, fighting, and trying to climb the ladder with developments and innovations that, for now, have not been able to counter the reign of Adrian Newey and company. Apart from some modifications to the radiator inlet openings, they haven’t made significant moves in the growth process of a car that was already born great, fast, and devastating.
Moving up the ranks, given the current regulatory framework, is not an easy task. Aston Martin has managed to do it, recovering seconds and positions in the standings from one year to another, only to stall at the gates of glory. McLaren is also attempting it, after a lackluster and disappointing start, and has emerged in Great Britain as the undisputed second force in Formula 1. What do these two teams have in common? The answer is the Aerodynamic Test Regulation (ATR), as explained by F1 expert Diego Catalano for FUnoanalisitecnica.
These aforementioned British teams have come from difficult years that resulted in modest rankings. This rewarded them with many hours of work in the wind tunnel and a significant allocation of CFD resources. Their resurgence was based on these factors. Until June 30th, Aston Martin was able to operate with ample time, but since July 1st, things have changed, as indicated in the table above.
The momentum that had already flattened may be further affected. However, this won’t affect McLaren, which still operates with a substantial number of working hours. And it will continue until the end of the year, when they may reconsider the changed parameters if the progress seen in the past two race weekends is consolidated.
F1: Technical regulations hinder the ambitions of those who need to make a comeback
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This system leads us to reflect and ask a brutal and straightforward question: is it worthwhile, in Formula One with its countless regulatory constraints, to finish second? What sense does it make to invest time and resources in a comeback if, in the end, you are the first of the defeated and, moreover, have fewer working hours available than those who performed worse than you?
The reflection arises after reading some statements by Toto Wolff on the controversial matter. The manager, while complimenting McLaren (their customer-rival) for their performance in the British Grand Prix, stated that their comeback is good news because it means that, by making the right decisions, a car can make a huge leap in quality even during the championship. It is a hope for those who are chasing, but it can only materialize if they have a lot of ammunition at their disposal.
“The reason why it’s exciting to see McLaren return to form is that, over the course of a championship, with much more wind tunnel time, you can make upgrades that can completely change the performance of the car. We’re not talking about two-tenths, but about a whole second. And that’s good for the sport. We’ve seen it with Aston Martin, and we’re witnessing it with McLaren now. I like that,” explained Toto Wolff.
These aforementioned words should be read carefully. When the Austrian team principal says, “[…] with much more wind tunnel time, you can make upgrades that can completely change the performance of the car,” he alludes to a Formula 1 that, despite being in the computational realm, still cannot do without such a significant and fundamental test as the one conducted in a wind tunnel.
Toto Wolff attempted to quantify the relationship between available hours and time gained on track: “If you have 20% more time in the wind tunnel and gain 2 seconds in a year, that 20% translates into gaining 4 tenths.” – the Mercedes boss pointed out.
Although there is no factual evidence regarding this supposed correlation between available work and lap time, it is clear that the former has a significant impact on the latter. That’s why all teams are rushing to equip themselves with increasingly modern facilities. Aston Martin will debut its new wind tunnel model next year, and McLaren is ready with a new unit.
Dietrich Mateschitz, before his health condition worsened fatally, had approved an additional budget for a new wind tunnel. This is despite the fact that Formula One wants to ban them from 2030, a decision that has not yet been made and to which teams are strongly opposing. Rightly so.
That’s why the provocative question about the need to finish second makes sense. This context undermines those who need to make a comeback, and deliberately sacrificing a season that cannot lead to victory could be a cynical but effective strategy to accumulate a significant amount of working hours and then launch a decisive attack. The rules of Formula 1, paradoxically, seem to favor tactical slowdowns rather than efforts to bridge the gap. A philosophical revision would be more necessary than ever.
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