zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
F1 Thinks Passing Could Increase by 50 Percent in Some Races This Year With Its New Aero Rules
F1 Thinks Passing Could Increase by 50 Percent in Some Races This Year With Its New Aero Rules-June 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:10

Lewis Hamilton leading Sebastian Vettel at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

When it comes to the racing, there are a lot of things one could say Formula One needs— without everyone else breaking down or vanishing into thin air, less predictability, , and, of course, . The good news is, the folks at F1 think that last one may improve this year.

They’re not talking small improvements, either. reports that F1 thinks overtaking numbers could increase by 50 percent in some races, based on simulations its technical folks have run on the new aerodynamics regulations.

The lack of overtaking in F1 has been a big deal in recent years, especially the dismal 2017 season, when the per race was half of what it was the year before. But F1 introduced regulations for for this year in hopes of changing that, in addition to its existing to help overtaking, and simulations show that it may just work.

Motorsport.com cited the FIA’s Auto magazine in quoting the FIA’s head of single-seater technical matters , Nikolas Tombazis, about the simulations. Here’s what he said, from the story:

“Some simulations were showing a +10% increase of overtaking, assuming a similar evolution of a race, of course.

“In other races the same simulations expect a more sizeable increase, possibly to the tune of +50%.

“That’s the feedback we’ve had so far, but it will really only become clear as we progress through the season.

“We weren’t expecting miracles in round one at Australia, but generally we are expecting a step in the right direction as far as aerodynamics are concerned.”

There don’t appear to be comprehensive overtaking numbers for the 2018 F1 season online, but the 2017 season was when things really didn’t look great. Pirelli that there had been 435 overtakes that year, or an average of 21.8 overtakes per race.

Combined with data from 2001 through 2016, the numbers from 2017 were the worst they’d been since the . But two years later, aero regulations have undergone a slight overhaul to try to trend those numbers back upward.

Overtaking numbers in Formula One, with the red section marking the years since the series introduced its DRS system to help passing.

The 2019 aero regulations in F1 simpler front and rear wings as well as a simpler design on the front brake ducts, meant to make the racing less spread out. The series is two races into a 21-race season—the opening Australian Grand Prix, which isn’t an easy track to overtake on regardless of aerodynamics, and the , which was fun to watch for and . Given that we haven’t seen much racing yet, it’s hard to gauge how much of an impact the new rules have had.

But there are 19 races to go this year, meaning we have a lot of time to see—and hopefully enjoy—just how much of an impact these rules may have.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Jun 22, 2025
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Jun 22, 2025
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Jun 22, 2025
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Jun 22, 2025
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Jun 22, 2025
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Jun 22, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved