Formula 1
Why Ferrari thinks F1's wind tunnel rules could be "game-changer" for 2026
Ferrari team principal believes some teams may be tempted to write off next year to gain extra wind tunnel time for 2026
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Nov 11, 2024, 9:16 AM
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Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur thinks that Formula 1's aerodynamic testing restrictions could be a "game-changer" next year if teams deliberately write off the season to gain an advantage for 2026.
F1 is approaching its next rules era in two years' time, when revamped turbo hybrid engines with increased battery power will be matched with all-new aerodynamic regulations.
The wholesale change coming means teams are already unlikely to commit to major redesigns for next year, because they do not want to divert too much resource from the next generation cars.
However, Vasseur thinks that some squads could even be minded to sacrifice their performance over the course of next season to give themselves maximum wind tunnel development time for 2026 – which could prove to be a significant gain.
Speaking about if the aerodynamic testing rules, which apply a sliding scale of allowance based on constructors' championship positions, could prove decisive in dictating the speed of teams, Vasseur said that the situation would be totally different to how it is now.
"It's not critical in this period if someone has an advantage and is given more [wind tunnel] runs," he said. "That is because today we are making such small progress each run.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari, Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
"But the game-changer could be '26 because you could have some teams that are perhaps not fighting for the championship next year that decide: 'Okay, for '25 we don't care if we are Px [in the constructors'] and we don't care if we are x plus two or x minus two. We will just go full on the '26 project.
"If you are fighting for something, you will have the temptation to do more for '25 plus, [and] on the top [of that], the other teams already have more, because they are Px compared to P1 in the table. So the Px will be fully focused on '26 but the P1 will be split [across the two seasons]."
F1's ATR dictates the amount of wind tunnel time and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capacity that can be used for an "aerodynamic testing period" (ATP) of two months, based on championship position.
This is a sliding scale, where the team that finishes first in the championship starts a new period with 70% of the baseline allowance, in 5% increments up to the 115% multiplier for finishing 10th, in an effort to create closer grids.
The tables are reset twice per year based on the constructors' championship position at that time. One allocation runs from 1 January to 30 June, while the other runs from 1 July to 31 December.
The current levels, which were decided after this year's Austrian Grand Prix, are detailed below.
The mid-season reset could be what teams may target, as being lower down halfway through the season could maximise wind tunnel testing for the rest of the year ahead of 2026.
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