F1 predicts “20% improvement” in racing with 2019 changes

Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn says predictions from research rates improvements in racing and overtaking to increase by 20% thanks to the 2019 technical rules shake-up.

With a number of F1 teams gearing up for 2019 by releasing their team launch dates, the new season will welcome revised aerodynamic regulations focused on simpler front wings and front brake ducts plus a wider rear wing.

The rule changes have been brought in specifically to encourage closer racing, and theoretically allowing greater opportunity to overtake, following continued complaints that F1 cars couldn’t follow each other closely due to the air flow impacting chasing cars.

Speaking to Formula1.com last month, F1 motorsport boss Brawn has laid out how the 2019 rule tweaks will provide key gains and also act as a stepping stone towards the predicted overhaul of rules set to arrive in 2021.

“Until the cars run, we don’t know what solutions they have made, but from predictions, we’re achieving about 20% improvement,” Brawn said. “So we’re about a quarter of the way there to where we think we could be. But it’s not a one-stop shop in the sense that you do this and then you don’t touch it anymore.”

Throughout 2018, F1 undertook research in partnership with teams to get a greater understanding on what aero rules both help and hurt racing with a view to implement the full findings in 2021.

F1 teams have been allowed to begin early development on future cars but must share all findings with both rule-makers and other teams. Brawn is confident this process will see its benefits arrive both next year and in 2021 as “a philosophy and a culture” change.

“What we learn from this aero programme will be very important for the next bigger step, in 2021,” he said. “The point to stress is it’s a philosophy and a culture, not just a one-stop solution.

“If we don’t achieve everything we want to achieve with these changes, we’ll learn from it, press on and carry on with the next phase of changes and we’ll keep doing that until we get the cars in a form when they can race each other much more effectively, which they can’t at the moment.

“It’s useful to see if the teams have been able to evolve and take different directions because we don’t want to discover that in 2021.”