Official: The 2021 F1 unveiled
After months of waiting, the FIA and Liberty Media have finally unveiled the car for the 2021 regulations.
But then how will the next Formula 1 change from what we currently know? First of all, thanks to the return of ground effect and the new front and rear wings, cars should lose less aerodynamic downforce when following another car. The loss of downforce would thus decrease from 50% to 15%. This is supposed to facilitate on-track battles as drivers will be able to follow each other more easily without necessarily losing too much speed and especially without prematurely overheating their tires.
Another specific aspect is that development times will be significantly reduced. Teams will have less time for wind tunnel testing, fewer days of running during winter tests, and fewer opportunities to develop during the season. All these reforms aim to tighten the field, especially between the top teams and the rest of the grid. Since the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, out of 214 podium spots available, only six spots have escaped the top trio of teams. In summary, the cars should be more homogeneous.
Aesthetically, this new F1 looks even more aggressive. And this is despite its simpler curves. The front wing, despite its simplification, is wider, and the rear wing is quite curved in the middle.
