[Rules] How to improve active aero
How the make better use of active aero and give us the best racing in decades.
Most of us here I reckon prefer fights for position in less downforce dominated classes that are not as limited by dirty air. So why is that? I think it boils mainly down to:
- Fights for position can be tense, subtle and often last quite a while.
- Drivers can stay close in the corners as opposed to the front guy always getting away at the front.
- The follwing car can keep his tyre temperature under controle and not ruin his stint.
To me F1 missed a great opportunity with the introduction of active aero. They missed the opportunity to introduce the best F1 racing in decades by making fighting for position as thrilling as no/low downforce classes yet in the class with the highest downforce. How? By using the active aero to compensate the dirty air effect not on the straights, like DRS or boost mode, but in the actual corners itself.
Why would this improve racing so much? Because it makes fights for position subtle again, merely being to follow on the straights and then using the sublte old school slipstream effect to try to get get close enough to get in a position to be able to out brake the other guy. Also because cars can remain close in both corners and straights, the fights can take up whole sections of a lap in stead a quick and meaningless pass on the sttraight. And because the following cars tyres won't overheat as much, the fight might last multiple laps. And I mean within a few feet, not a few cars lengths.
So how could active aero achieve this?
Eliminate the boost and overtake mode and replace it with a additional follow aero mode on the front wing. For instance angle of attack of the front wing in corner mode may only be maximum of 90% of the difference between straight and follow mode.
This compensates the downforce loss from dirty air in the corners themselves instead of the straights.
This would have a few positives:
- Racing becomes more natural, tense ans subtle.
- Less back and forth because of battery depletion
- Easier to understand for the viewer.
Most of us here I reckon prefer fights for position in less downforce dominated classes that are not as limited by dirty air. So why is that? I think it boils mainly down to:
- Fights for position can be tense, subtle and often last quite a while.
- Drivers can stay close in the corners as opposed to the front guy always getting away at the front.
- The follwing car can keep his tyre temperature under controle and not ruin his stint.
To me F1 missed a great opportunity with the introduction of active aero. They missed the opportunity to introduce the best F1 racing in decades by making fighting for position as thrilling as no/low downforce classes yet in the class with the highest downforce. How? By using the active aero to compensate the dirty air effect not on the straights, like DRS or boost mode, but in the actual corners itself.
Why would this improve racing so much? Because it makes fights for position subtle again, merely being to follow on the straights and then using the sublte old school slipstream effect to try to get get close enough to get in a position to be able to out brake the other guy. Also because cars can remain close in both corners and straights, the fights can take up whole sections of a lap in stead a quick and meaningless pass on the sttraight. And because the following cars tyres won't overheat as much, the fight might last multiple laps. And I mean within a few feet, not a few cars lengths.
So how could active aero achieve this?
Eliminate the boost and overtake mode and replace it with a additional follow aero mode on the front wing. For instance angle of attack of the front wing in corner mode may only be maximum of 90% of the difference between straight and follow mode.
This compensates the downforce loss from dirty air in the corners themselves instead of the straights.
This would have a few positives:
- Racing becomes more natural, tense ans subtle.
- Less back and forth because of battery depletion
- Easier to understand for the viewer.