FIA Acknowledges Significant Challenges and "Misses" in Recent F1 Ground Effect Regulations

As the 2025 Formula 1 season draws to a close, marking the end of the current ground effect aerodynamic era, the sport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), has offered a candid assessment of the regulations introduced in 2022. While the FIA previously indicated that the rule changes moved "in the right direction" overall, it has openly conceded shortcomings in several critical areas, particularly concerning the resurgence of "dirty air" effects and unforeseen issues stemming from car ride height sensitivity.

The primary objective of the 2022 regulations was to foster closer racing by reducing the turbulent air generated by cars, thereby allowing following cars to maintain proximity. However, over the past two seasons, the impact of dirty air has paradoxically become a more pronounced issue, complicating overtakes and diminishing the spectacle the rules aimed to enhance.

Extreme Ride Heights: A Regulatory Oversight

A significant "miss" in the 2022 regulatory framework, as acknowledged by the FIA, was the unforeseen sensitivity of this generation of cars to ride height. To extract maximum aerodynamic performance, teams quickly discovered that running their cars at extremely low and stiff settings was paramount. This aggressive approach, while yielding performance, introduced a raft of undesirable consequences.

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The most immediate and dramatic effect was the widespread phenomenon of "porpoising" in 2022, where cars would violently bounce at high speeds due to intermittent loss and regaining of ground effect downforce. While teams largely mitigated the worst of porpoising through development, the necessity for ultra-low and stiff setups persisted. This has led to ongoing discomfort and physical strain for drivers, with several reporting chronic issues. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen notably voiced his concerns during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, stating at times, "my whole back is falling apart" due to the cars’ harsh ride.

Reflecting on this period, Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater director, admitted that the governing body had underestimated the critical importance of ride height in the new regulations. "The fact that the optimum [ride height] of the cars moved so much lower was a miss in the 2022 regulations," Tombazis informed a select group of media, including Motorsport.com. He further elaborated on the collective oversight, noting, "It’s something that we missed – and not only us but also the teams. In all discussions, nobody raised that issue. It was something that became obvious very, very close to the start of the championship, when it was too late to change the regulations." Tombazis concluded, expressing regret, "The initial porpoising, which hasn’t totally disappeared but has obviously improved massively, was also something that had not been anticipated. I wish we had done better there."

Despite the challenges, the FIA has dismissed suggestions that granting teams less freedom with suspension design could have resolved these ride height issues. Tombazis stated, "We don’t believe that suspension changes would have had a first-order effect. It would perhaps have given them a [different] set of options, but we don’t think the simplification of the suspension rules would have had a first-order effect." This indicates the FIA’s view that the core aerodynamic principles, rather than suspension intricacies, were the primary drivers of the problem.

Plank Wear and Disqualifications: A Consequence of Extremes

The pursuit of extreme low ride heights by teams had a direct and significant knock-on effect: increased scrutiny and issues surrounding the wear of the car’s underfloor plank and skid blocks. This technical area has repeatedly come under the spotlight throughout the 2022-2025 regulatory cycle, leading to several high-profile incidents and disqualifications.

A notable instance occurred at the 2023 United States Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) were disqualified after post-race inspections revealed excessive plank wear on their cars. More recently, McLaren faced similar scrutiny at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, though the specific outcome of that inspection was not detailed in the original report.

The inspection process itself proved to be a time-consuming and complex task for the FIA. Due to the intricate nature of the checks, not every car could be inspected after every Grand Prix. Further complicating matters was the fact that different teams employed slightly varied solutions for their floor and skid block designs, adding layers of variability to the assessment.

This raised the question of whether greater standardization of these components could have simplified the FIA’s oversight. Tombazis, however, presented a nuanced perspective on this matter, cautioning against oversimplification. "Please don’t take this single phrase without my complete thought, but all of these problems would go away the more we go towards a standard car," he explained. "You can easily have a Formula 2 car with a bit more performance, and then you don’t have porpoising, you don’t have any loopholes, and you don’t have any plank issues."

However, Tombazis quickly underscored the fundamental ethos of Formula 1. "But clearly, we want Formula 1 to be a technological battle as well. We don’t want it to be a single car with different stickers on it. And therefore, we do leave some leeway to the designers." This statement reiterates the FIA’s commitment to maintaining F1 as a pinnacle of motorsport engineering and innovation, even if it introduces regulatory complexities.

He further elaborated on the practical challenges of standardizing planks, noting additional factors teams face. "Specifically for the plank, there was an additional factor as well. Different teams had different ways to deal with the reliability concerns of cars banging on the road all the time. To say, this is your design and it’s rock solid, then some teams would have said, ‘well, but you can’t do that because if our engine takes a hit there, it’s going to break’. You have the ERS systems and so on, so you have to consider various other issues before you introduce a standard system of some sort." This highlights the intricate interplay between aerodynamic performance, structural integrity, and powertrain protection that F1 designers must balance.

Looking Ahead: Hopes for 2026 Regulations

With the advent of the 2026 technical regulations, the FIA is optimistic that the issues surrounding extreme ride height sensitivity and plank wear will be significantly mitigated. The new rules, while still incorporating a degree of ground effect aerodynamics, will feature a much simpler floor design compared to the 2022-2025 era.

The expectation is that this simpler floor will push the optimal ride height for maximum performance considerably higher, thereby reducing the incentive for teams to run cars at damagingly low levels. In theory, this design philosophy should prevent a recurrence of the severe porpoising problems and reduce the likelihood of excessive plank wear issues.

"We believe it is very unlikely to have similar characteristics because of a much flatter floor," stated Tombazis. "How much the downforce increases as you go lower is not as pronounced with this car as it was in last year’s car. We believe that will reduce the chance of porpoising."

Despite this confidence, the FIA maintains a degree of caution, mindful of the unforeseen side effects that have emerged in previous regulatory cycles. "When the cars run for the very first time and have some issue, I wouldn’t exclude it," Tombazis acknowledged. However, he concluded with a more optimistic outlook: "But I would say that the rules are inherently less in that direction. So given the teams did a pretty good job of solving the issue with the previous generation of cars, it should be a much easier problem next time." The collective experience gained by both the FIA and the teams in grappling with the intricacies of ground effect cars is expected to contribute to a smoother transition and a more stable competitive environment under the 2026 regulations.

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Jonas Leo: Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.

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