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The development of the 2021 Formula 1 car is entering its decisive phase. In June, the FIA wants to present a regulation. The model is currently in its ninth stage of development. We will show you what they are likely to expect in 2021. This includes two tunnels under the car.

The clock is ticking. 2021 Formula 1 gets a new face. The aim is to be able to offer a better show with the racing cars of the future. And for that it is crucial how the vehicles move in traffic. With the current cars, the air directly behind the rear wing is so swirled that up to 80 percent of its energy is stolen. Therefore, it is practically impossible for the driver behind to stay in the slipstream of the car in front when cornering. The downforce loss in a certain window behind a car is up to 80 percent. It only gets better with sufficient distance. But then you are again too far away for an attack.

This year Formula 1 is making a first attempt to solve this problem. Simpler front wings, less swirled air sent around the car and higher rear wings should improve the air quality behind the car. But the FIA did the calculation without the engineers. They continue to successfully send all the bad air outside past the wheels. And then they stupidly meet again behind the car, even exactly at the height of the front wing. However, it no longer reacts so sensitively because it has a simpler structure.

Tests in the Sauber wind tunnel The season opener in Melbourne showed how difficult it is to write something into the rules for the engineers that doesn't interest them at all. They just want to build the fastest car possible. The drivers reported in Melbourne that little has changed. You might be able to get a little closer until the downforce loss is really drastic. What is certain is that DRS has become a stronger weapon thanks to the larger opening angle between the rear wing main blade and the flap. A final judgement will only be possible after the next two races. The tracks in Bahrain and China are, in contrast to Melbourne, overtaking friendly. Formula 1 sports director Ross Brawn, on the other hand, is sure: "If we hadn't done anything, things would have got even worse".

With the 2021 car everything should be much better. The 2019 season will give the rulesmakers a few more important insights into what works and what doesn't. Seldom has so much work and so much science been put into a concept to make cars easier to drive in traffic. The F1 management and FIA engineers have already reached expansion stage 9. All concepts will be tested in the CFD simulation and in the Sauber wind tunnel. The most important chart is the air turbulence behind the car.

The colour-coded segments at the rear of the CFD models show quite clearly where the journey is heading. The level of turbulent air behind the car decreases from development stage to development stage. In the model with the name "INDIA" it is only 20 percent in the critical range. In other words, the driver in the following car has 80 percent downforce directly behind his opponent. At present, the figure is 30 percent. The further back you look, the weaker the air quality segments of the 2021 cars are. Relatively soon, an area begins in which the driver behind him feels practically nothing.

Front wing no longer hangs under nose The last proposal of the commission of experts is currently making the rounds among the teams. Two deadlines have been set for the heads of technology. They had to examine the proposals by mid-March and by the end of April and possibly make suggestions for improvements or uncover possible pitfalls. The FIA will then draw in another development loop before the technical regulations are finalised. And that will be quite detailed, but with the possibility of making improvements if new findings emerge in the course of the year.

And what do these wonder cars look like that are supposed to revolutionize racing in 2021? Last September, the F1 management presented some studies that gave an approximate impression. But six months have passed since then, and a lot has happened. auto motor und sport has received three CFD images of the current "INDIA" status of the 2021 car. Because this is not very meaningful for laymen, we asked our design employee Mark Antar to give the model a race paint job.

Three things can be recognized relatively quickly from this. The front wing no longer hangs under the nose, but grows out of it. And it floats much higher above the road than the 2019 models. In addition, the wing consists of three instead of five elements. The width on the left and right is 5 to 10 centimetres short. The rear wing is also mounted very high and almost ends with the airbox. In addition to two elements at the top, an underwing is also permitted in the model.

Baffles in strongly reduced form What is completely new is that the idea of a completely flat underbody is abandoned. For the first time since 1983. Under the side boxes, two tunnels of the prescribed size may be woven in, which then end in a diffuser that will be higher than today. This is to compensate for the downforce lost by the simpler wings. However, it will be difficult for the designers to seal the bottom against lateral currents. Aprons like those used during the Groundeffect period from 1978 to 1982 are of course forbidden. The number of baffles will shrink significantly. Behind the front wheels, there will only be room for two relatively simple flow aligners.

The fairing is relatively smooth compared to 2019. No superstructures, no fins, no wings. The Halo is a bit more elegantly integrated in the overall design. Only a mini fin at the rear end is allowed on the back of the airbox so that the rear wing does not react so sensitively to side currents when cornering. The two mudguards above the front wheels are also conspicuous. They are designed to immediately push down the turbulence generated there so that they cannot get behind the car. The rear wing does not necessarily have to be suspended from the end plates. A central support is also allowed. There is already bad news. The cars should become even heavier. Allegedly by up to 50 kilograms. This is due to the many standard parts that the regulations will prescribe