2021 Rules and Regs
New cars means new specifications, get to know what the new changes to the rules and regs are for 2021. Teams will be using the same chassis as last year, and the cars will look mainly the same. This year we were due to have a new evolution of car in F1, but thanks to the global pandemic, that has been put on hold to allow teams more time to get the cars right. For now, here are the major changes.
CAR CHANGES
The floor needs to be changed away from a rectangular shape to one with cutaways at the rear of the car, reducing the surface area. The diffuser fences are also being cut down to reduce the effect of the floor seal. The rear brake duct wings are to be shortened by 50% to improve downforce by improving the efficiency of streamlining over the wheels.
DAS is gone. The DAS (Dual Axle Steering) system that was introduced by Mercedes last year has been axed. The system allowed the driver to preserve tyre life by enabling them to pull the steering wheel forward and back which changes the alignment of the tyre as it corners.
New material will be allowed on the car. This will be used to help teams incorporate some more environmentally friendly resources and experiment further in the name of sustainability.
Pirelli are changing the tyre compounds once again. This has come in response to the British GP last year and hope the teams will gain a 5% increase in performance. We’’ believe that one when we see it.
The minimum weight of the car is to be increased to prevent teams from deploying any sneaky weight saving techniques, and perhaps could better allow teams to incorporate those new materials.
Finally, there’s to be no more copy cats. In order to avoid a repetition of the issues faced by Racing Point’s “pink Mercedes” teams are allowed to take influence from competitors cars but not directly copy them. In order to police this further 3D cameras are not allowed.
TEAM CHANGES
For the first time ever in F1 a cost cap is going to be introduced. The aim of the cap is to draw the pack closer together and avoid another era of dominance as seen by Redbull at pre-hybrid era and currently Mercedes. This is all part of F1 and Liberty Media’s aims to make F1 more entertaining for the fans. It is set for $145 million this year with a further $5 million removed in the following two years respectively. However, there are a number of things that do not come out of this budget such as marketing and the jobs of the high profile employees, including drivers.
There will be changes to how teams are able to use the wind tunnels too. The higher a team places at the end of the championship, the less time they will be able to spend testing the aerodynamics of the following year’s car. This is to tackle extended runs of teams at the back of the grid, such as William’s and Haas performances over the last few years.
CONCLUSIONS
Due to the pandemic halting the big and grand changes that were meant for Formula 1 this year it is no surprise to see only a few key changes to the Rules and Regulations. What has happened is F1 has been able to react to the issues and developments of last year whilst they wait for the new, bigger changes to come. As a result, it’s likely we won’t see a great deal of difference at the end of the year because of the spending cap. That will become a factor when the new cars some in 2022 and we will see who is best at balancing the books. For now, change will come from engine developments and who is supplying those to who.
