Auto123.com - Helping you drive happy

F1 shelves plans for 2013 'ground effects' cars

|
Obtain the best financial rate for your car loan at Automobile En DirectSpeedy
Khatir Soltani
From GMM

F1 is set to steer clear of 1980-style 'tea tray' front wings for the 2013 chassis regulations.

We reported late last year that, to go with the four-cylinder turbo engines, the F1 cars of 2013 will generate the bulk of their downforce with the floor through 'ground effects', with that formula drawn up by veteran engineers Patrick Head and Rory Byrne.

Ferrari 126c in 1982 - Photo: WRi2


Auto Motor und Sport
said the teams will receive the draft regulations next week, but they have reportedly been revised to be less radical than originally proposed.

The teams had apparently hit back at the Head/Byrne plan by proposing a less extreme method to reduce downforce, on the basis of the current aerodynamic formula.

So, front wings will reduce in width from 1.8 to 1.5 metres in 2013, with the rear wings to be the same size but with smaller wing profiles.

Aerodynamic appendages, meanwhile, will be further restricted, and a 100 kilograms per hour fuel flow rate imposed for the engines.

The fuel flow limit will require teams to work to reduce the drag - and therefore the downforce and fuel consumption - of the cars from a drag coefficient of around 0.95 at present to about 0.5 to 0.7.

The FIA intends to present the chassis rules to the teams in London on Wednesday.

Front-wing of the Red Bull RB7 in 2011 - Photo: Red Bull Racing


Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada