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Formula 1

Tech podcast: F1’s past and present ground-effect eras

by Jack Cozens
1 min read

With Formula 1’s August shutdown in full swing, there’s still lots for The Race F1 Tech Show host Edd Straw and Gary Anderson, former Jordan, Jaguar and Stewart technical director, to talk about.

Gary starts off by looking at the follies of Ferrari’s attitude to strategy during the 2022 season and why it’s not about sacking team principal Mattia Binotto if Ferrari wants to fix things.

A deep dive into ground-effect F1 cars follows, starting with those from the late 1970s – when Gary was in the thick of the ground-effect revolution that was kicked off by Team Lotus. That spawned the fascinating Brabham BT46B ‘fan car’ that raced only once. But what might have happened had such cars stayed legal?

Modern-day ground effect is also delved into, including the potential for teams to unlock significantly more performance in the future despite the rule changes slated for 2023.

And finally, Gary answers a listener question about whether any of F1’s midfield teams can hope to join the ‘big three’ teams at the front before the next rules cycle starts in 2026.

The Race F1 Tech Show, brought to you by Aramco.

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