Ground force
The most aerodynamically influential part of the 2022 Formula 1 cars is the all-new floor, marking the return of ground-effect cars to the sport
The 2022 Formula 1 World Championship cars turned a wheel for the first time at the Circuit de Cataluña on 23-26 February this year. It was here the new era of the sport began, and the teams got to grips with their new machinery, designed to all-new chassis and aerodynamics regulations.
The 2022 technical rule book defines a specific flow field and wake pattern for the car’s aerodynamics to follow – a vast departure from all generations of Formula 1 before it. The rules also limit the number of aerodynamic devices teams can put on the car. Because of this, teams are forced to be more efficient in the design phase, asking more of their engineering choices, rather than just adding as many features as possible to extract maximum performance.
With a completely new aerodynamic shape, the cars perform entirely differently. Consequently, much of the aerodynamic understanding teams have accumulated over the last few decades has been put to one side.
Additionally, the way the rules are written is also new. In the previous generations, designers were given boxes to design elements inside. As more loaded surface area means more downforce, the aerodynamic features would typically run up to the edges of the boxes, forcing a vertical and horizontal interface at the corners.
The new regulations are written around prescribed CAD surfaces, and teams must
