In an attempt by the FIA to reduce downforce in 2021 Formula 1, with the aim of helping minimize tire stress, it brought about some modifications to the car’s flat-bottom and bargeboard regulations.
These changes, which came at a time when teams had to move their chassis from 2020 to 2021, mostly hurt cars with less rake angle (difference in height between the front and rear of the car) such as Mercedes. and Aston Martin.
Although Mercedes was able to bounce back and end up winning the constructors’ championship, Aston Martin had a more difficult year, going from fourth place in 2020 to seventh in 2021.
Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer said his team’s drop in performance came as no surprise, because the Silverstone-based outfit didn’t have a performance buffer like they had at Mercedes to minimize the impact of downforce loss.
“What happened this year confirmed our pre-season concerns that the unilateral aerodynamic changes that were made at the end of the season had a more detrimental effect on our team and Mercedes,” he explained.
“Because the middle section was so tight, the lap time we lost – seven, eight and even nine tenths a lap, depending on what track we were on – caused us to go from having the third fastest car to being the sixth or seventh.
” Mercedes also lost performance due to the aerodynamic philosophy of the 2021 rules, and that was what caused them to go from always being on pole to fighting for the championship.”
“For us, I think it had a much, much bigger impact, and because of that, and because of the fact that the 2022 regulations are completely different, we had to put all our attention on the next season very soon and we sacrificed this 2021. Szafnauer added.
While Aston Martin was able to work on some improvements to offset its losses at the start of the campaign, Szafnauer explained that in the end it didn’t make sense to invest too many resources because the gains were going to be minimal, compared to the risk of losing ground at the start of 2022. .
“We had a big development program in early 2021 to try and make up for some of the aerodynamic deficit that we found,” he said.
“We tried from the beginning, but we had to stick to our plan to change the approach, because otherwise you can have a mediocre year this year, and then you won’t have a great season next year either. So we made a conscious effort to change, no matter how painful.
Aston Martin ‘s updates to help improve the downforce of their car were not positive for other areas of the car, which affected them in places as well.
Szafnauer added: “In trying to regain some of that downforce that we had lost, we ended up with a car that was a bit heavier than it used to be in the past.
“At some circuits a little bit of extra drag doesn’t lead to a big lap time deficit, but at others it does. That’s why we’ve had ups and downs this season.”
