2009 Rule Changes – Aerodynamics
Mar 19th, 2009 by Haas
In a bid to improve overtaking and make the ‘show’ more entertaining, the FIA decided to introduce dramatic changes to the Aerodynamic regulations of Formula One cars. The idea was largely reduce the aerodynamic downforce and increase the Mechanical Grip of the cars.
The changes to the cars make them visibly less appealing than their earlier counterparts. The larger front wing and the narrower and taller rear wing were added to allow much more closer racing. The idea predominantly being to allow cars to follow each other much closer over the turns allowing them to produce more overtaking opportunities. The lack of winglets, barge boards, turning vanes, chimneys, Viking horns or dumbo ears meant that the cars had to be designed from scratch.
What does this rule change mean to the fans?
Expect less cooler looking cars but probably better and close racing than previous seasons. Lot of drivers initially felt that the aerodynamic changes would not help in increasing overtaking but changed their opinions after winter testing.
Expect more accidents at the start of the race. With really wide front wings, the possibility of someone clipping a front wing increases dramatically especially at the start of the race. Again raising the importance of qualifying higher.
Which Teams/Drivers will gain an advantage from this rule change?
Any team that spends more time in developing their car will be at a major advantage at the start of the season. As the season progresses the better designs will be copied by other teams and the deficit in performance will be made up (atleast by a few teams).
Considering the clean slate for design, expect brilliant car designers like Adrian Newey(Red Bull) to give their teams a better start.
The 2009 Aerodynamic changes to Formula One is intended to reduce the performance difference between the teams and give more importance to Driver ability. So expect the good drivers of the lot to get a lot more out of their machinery than compared to their peers.
Ps: Although “Movable Wings” is a part of the Aerodynamic changes, it will be discussed in a later segment
Images thanks to Wikipedia
