The water splash protection kit tested at Silverstone on F1 cars is a failure
The new F1 concepts with the return of the floor have caused an underestimated consequence, a lack of visibility in rainy conditions. The FIA is working on a kit concept to improve visibility but the first tests in real conditions are a failure. Let me explain.
In 2022, a new aerodynamic era emerged in F1 with a historic concept making a comeback to spice up the Grand Prix: the presence of a floor with a diffuser, allowing the F1 car to be sucked to the ground in straight lines and corners. The objective of the regulation was also to reduce aerodynamic drag for the following cars, in order to disturb the air less and therefore improve their ability to suck in the car behind to generate more overtaking.
The floor is a key aerodynamic element in Formula 1. It is the lower part of the race car, which is designed to be as flat and smooth as possible. The goal is to minimize air resistance and maximize the ground effect. Once the air is compressed under the car, it will accelerate and exit through the diffuser, creating a vacuum in the process. This ground effect has a major drawback: it significantly lifts the airflow and therefore water.
Visibility issues
When it’s raining, the Formula 1 cars still drive. And with the return of the ground effect, the drivers quickly face a major problem during a race: visibility.
When it rains on a high-speed helmet, the rain runs off and hinders visibility. However, the water doesn’t stay and still allows for riding in such conditions.
On the other hand, with the new regulation, visibility is much worse. Not because of the visor, but due to a cloud of water particles projected by the drivers ahead. It becomes nearly impossible to know where to be and how to drive, and this clearly has significant consequences, especially in 2022 during the Grand Prix of Japan where drivers were complaining about the lack of visibility.
A solution tested by the FIA
The FIA has therefore proposed as a first solution a water splash guard kit to be installed on the F1 cars during a announced rainy Grand Prix. Identical for all the cars, it has been designed by computer with the help of CFD and tested during private trials at the Silverstone circuit.
This kit includes 4 elements behind each of the wheels, as well as an increase in the size of the fenders placed above the tires.
A failure of this solution
« Obviously, it would have been perfect if everything had been perfectly validated and if we already had a solution to implement or something like that, but that wasn’t the case », stated Tombazis when The Race asked him to explain the test findings.
« Having started this project towards the end of last year and having done quite a few CFD simulations, we quickly realized that it was not as simple as “OK, just put a cover and it’s good to go and done”. Firstly, CFD simulations are quite delicate because we also have to simulate water particles, and when there are water droplets inside the flow field, it actually involves quite complicated physics. »
« And moreover, even in this case, you need a correlation because you don’t know exactly how much water is drawn from the ground and how much is discharged by the tires. It becomes quite complicated, quite quickly, and that’s why we needed some correlation. »
The test thus showed that the water lifted by the wheels was not the main problem, and that the covers used did not significantly reduce the rise of particles in the air.
The actual devices that were used were relatively small and only covered small parts of the wheels. Personally, I wasn’t too sure if they would work. I was thinking, ‘Is it enough coverage? Will it have enough effect?’ And it turns out that it didn’t make a tangible difference.
« But we have obtained a lot of correlation and a lot of data that we can now correlate with more confidence. So, it was a useful first test. » explains the French who will have to go back to the drawing board.
« Few engineering projects work perfectly on the first try, so we just need to work a little more. There are still a lot of exposed wheels, Tombazis said. « We clearly haven’t confirmed the concept, but I don’t think that’s enough to say it doesn’t work. We need to work a little more. »
50% improvement in visibility envisaged
As imagined, the wheel covers do not have the effect of improving visibility. According to Nicolas Tombazis, it is possible to improve visibility by half, but the main issue stems from the diffuser.
« The key points are the water extracted from the track by the diffuser and the water discharged by the wheels. We expect this to be a reduction of approximately half, we do not think it will eliminate everything. »
The FIA confirms, therefore, that they cannot directly work on the effect of the diffuser, which seems very logical since it would impact the grip of the cars and the overall functioning of the employed concepts.
« Overall, sports cars [editor’s note, GT type and not single-seater with unprotected tires] have less of this problem, so I am optimistic. This suggests that we have a chance to compete. However, until we quantify it properly, we need to continue the R&D program. »
« We are fully committed to making it work because we believe that sooner or later, it will make the difference between a cancelled race and a race that takes place,” said Tombazis.
The FIA confirms that they are therefore working on another more efficient solution which will allow driving in light rain conditions, thus avoiding well-known problems such as during the Belgium Grand Prix 2021 which had been a fiasco.
« If during its lifetime, it saves a race and the hundreds of thousands of people in a situation like the one at Spa in 2021 once, I think it’s worth it. »
