After so much controversy, the time has come for Formula 1 to introduce the modification of the technical regulations in the middle of the 2022 season. The Belgian Grand Prix will put into practice the much-discussed regulation 039-22 , which aims to impose new limits to the flexibility of the single-seater floors.
According to data collected by the FIA , information to which the technical commissioners of the international federation have access, some teams would have been able to flex the resin skid with a color similar to wood, which would allow the cars to roll with a shorter distance from the asphalt, achieving greater aerodynamic load and, therefore, more performance.
McLaren MCL36 Background
Red Bull and Ferrari have been especially under scrutiny, and that is that the solution that the FIA has arrived at after the suggestions of Mercedes to fight against porpoising , had not considered the idea of flexing the front splitter and deforming the sliding blocks of the bottom of the background.
Something is certain, we have seen a significant reduction in the sparks that came out before the cars when the floors touched the asphalt. Some had to lift the cars to avoid rebound, while others managed to “neutralize” the wear of the dashboard with deformable elements.
What was the advantage that “creative” teams benefited from? There are rumors in the paddock that speak of a couple of tenths, and if that is true, at Spa-Francorchamps we will know, since that is where the technical rules that have caused so much controversy will be introduced to avoid the “cunning” of the teams .
Haas VF-22 skid block
The measure should have been put into effect at the last French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, but the FIA gave the teams time to adjust the flexing of the floors to later impose stricter controls. The sets had developed funds divided into three parts, and they were allowed to save costs in case of breakage, since a total element change would not be necessary.
However, this led the engineers to adopt modular designs in the sliding blocks to avoid floor wear (a wear of 1 mm is allowed in the 10 thickness of the block), and they have studied more varied solutions to bring the car as close to the asphalt as possible.
A 2mm tolerance will now be applied on the slip blocks, and the bottom stiffness will need to be uniform for a 15mm radial distance on a 75% surface, so there are no variable flexing bottom parts .
The Belgian Grand Prix will reveal the unknown of the summer, and we will know if Red Bull and Ferrari, although not only them, suddenly lose two tenths with respect to Mercedes, which had already approached the leading teams in Hungary. If the roles are reversed, it will be confirmed that some teams pushed the interpretation of the regulations to the limit, bordering on and even exceeding the spirit of the rules.
If, on the other hand, there is no significant change in the order, it will be clear that the Silver Arrows’ attempt to return to the top with a change in the rules, which led the FIA to draft TD039 due to security, it had no effect.
The rebound of the cars has been almost completely eradicated with the stiffer bottoms, but it will be curious to analyze if the porpoising will be present on the long straights of the Belgian circuit. The international federation, in fact, is beginning to apply AOM, the aerodynamic oscillation metric, which will impose a maximum value of ground flex with an accelerometer placed near the car’s center of gravity.
If a car exceeds the established limits, the team must take the driver to the pits to make adjustments to the funds and neutralize this phenomenon.
The teams have had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with that equation, so there should be no surprises, but what will happen if, for example, between qualifying and the race, there is a change in weather conditions, with strong gusts of wind, and is there a bounce? Will cars be forced into the pitlane to adjust their height?
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