The 2022 Formula 1 season is the first under the new regulations, and the FIA is aware that teams could try to make the most of flexible wings and floors to gain a performance advantage.
Getting the wings to flex down the straights can lead to reduced drag, which improves top speed down the straight, while the new ground effect allowed for downforce to be gained if teams manage to seal the flat bottom.
However, the FIA is still unclear as to how far teams will take different areas of the regulations, so it wants to keep an open mind on how best to keep everything under control without making the tests too difficult to navigate.
A new regulation also means that the tests that worked well for the previous generation may not be the right ones for the 2022 season cars.
Therefore, a contingency plan has been put in place that will allow the FIA to back out of these tests if it deems them to be too strict.
For the first three Grands Prix of the season, the FIA may modify the criteria for these tests to allow for more flexibility or a lower load test.
Revised article 3.15 of the F1 Technical Regulations states: “For the first three Competitions of the 2022 Championship, the FIA reserves the right to increase the allowable deflection or reduce the applied load of any event defined in Article 3.15, solely to address any concerns about the introduction of new measurement procedures”.
“Any variation of this type will not exceed 20% of the regulated values and will be communicated to all teams.”
The FIA is open about the appropriateness of the tests, but has made it clear that it will not allow teams to try to break the rules.
“When it comes to the flexibility of the diffuser or the edges of the flat bottom to move downwards, we will always be attentive to the movement that is observed and we will impose, when necessary, tests to reduce these effects”, commented last week the FIA head of single-seater affairs Nikolas Tombazis .
“With the new regulations, it is inevitable that there will be some areas that have not been properly planned for in terms of flexibility, and we may need to improve these along the way.”
“We won’t hesitate to do that. The rules allow us to intervene if we find that abuse is taking place in certain areas.”
