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One of the big themes of the 2021 Formula 1 launches so far has been teams’ efforts to claw back the downforce lost to the rule changes affecting the floor area.
There have been various predictions about how long it will take to get performance back at the level seen last year.
But when it comes to matching last year’s downforce levels, the target depends on what team you are talking about.
For instance, first-to-launch McLaren and AlphaTauri were in the midfield last year so their downforce level would’ve been relatively low.
There is a bigger window of opportunity for them to get to the same level as they did in 2020 than there is for Mercedes.
Dominant world champion Mercedes was probably the team that had the most downforce last season. Some other teams, such as Red Bull, might just have had a higher peak, but for sure the gold medal for the average downforce seen over a lap goes to Mercedes. Any time it was pipped, it wouldn’t have been far behind.
The reason Mercedes was able to achieve that was because it had the manpower, ideas and tools in place to exploit all the aerodynamic working surfaces to the maximum.
The reason the other teams didn’t beat Mercedes on a regular basis is because they didn’t have as much of that.
Mercedes was probably able to get the required vortices coming off the bargeboards to seal the underfloor via those louvres in the floor doing their job better than most other teams’ versions.
Now those louvres are all gone. It’s a very complicated area removed, so the teams that didn’t get it right can’t get it wrong now.
The rules were changed to avoid over-stressing the tyres and it’s teams like Mercedes that were most at risk of overloading the Pirellis.
Given how strong Mercedes’ 2020 car was downforce-wise it will be harder for it to get to 2020 levels than teams further back. If the likes of AlphaTauri and McLaren are back to 2020 downforce fairly quickly, that’s still not going to overwork the tyres.
While the rule changes do limit opportunities to generate that downforce, it’s about how you adapt to it and find other areas to provide that performance. It’s also important to remember that it’s not just about getting the highest levels of downforce, but doing so consistently.
That’s why I was pleased to hear AlphaTauri technical director Jody Egginton talking about finding a wider performance window. That’s what will really get you consistent results, rather than just searching for peak downforce numbers to keep the big boss happy.
So I can definitely see some teams getting to their 2020 levels of downforce and possibly the teams that were struggling at the back like Williams, Haas and Alfa Romeo even exceeding those levels. Up at the front, it might prove to be a little more difficult but the laptimes will make it very clear.
In reality, what matters is how well you understand the impact of the changes and adapt. The teams that do that best will be the ones who look at the big picture rather than just worrying about the overall downforce levels.
