2019 F1 New Rules Explained: F1 News

The 2018 summer break for Formula One is over as the racing action resumes tomorrow at Spa-Francorchamps and it's time to talk about the new changes confirmed for next season. We're talking specifically about the changes in the technical regulations for the cars.

These particular changes were hotly debated as the top teams felt they were unnecessary what with the new 2021 engine regulations almost upon them. However, the new regulations are aimed at levelling the playing field a bit on race day to make things more exciting and addressing the concerns of the audience that is bored of watching one of three teams out of ten on the grid take all the wins.

1) Front wings will be made simpler in design to reduce the effect they have on the amount of disturbance created in the wake of the F1 car. The vortices created by current front wings are a big part of the problem for any car to follow another car too closely and thus reducing racing action. The new less complicated designs might even be homogenous for all competitors, but the revised dimensions and restricted use of extra elements to encourage the 'inwash' aerodynamic philosophy have been laid down.

2) The bargeboards that make up most of the floor of the F1 car will also be revised by being moved forward and fitted to be closer to the tarmac. These tweaks are also in alignment with making the racing action closer by changing elements that contribute to the disturbance in the wake of the car in front.

3) Brake-duct winglets will no longer be permitted from 2019. That and blown axles both. These elements help direct airflow to the outer part of the car's body. 

4) A higher and wider rear wing will be fitted to make room for the changes in DRS. The opening will now be wider to increase the affect of the mechanism while DRS zones are also being reviewed for each circuit that will feature on the 2019 calendar. Other changes to the rear wing include the ban on horizontal gills

All these revisions to the cars are aimed at making F1 more interesting, more competitive and more entertaining for the fans. However, some teams argue that this takes the sport adrift from focussing on building the fastest cars and makes it a less interesting prospect from an engineering perspective.

Some of the other changes for 2019 that are not directly applied to car design include an increased fuel allowance to encourage drivers to race less conservatively and push harder. There is also the matter of weight management for both driver and machine as from 2019, the driver weight will be considered separately to the car, rather than combined (currently set at 734kg).

What do you think of these new regulations for the 2019 season? Will it promote tactics that include qualifying for a lower starting grid to take advantage of slipstream and better DRS? Do you feel Alonso announced his retirement a season too soon?

To know these new regulations in more detail with more sketches from Girgio Piola, check out the full article on The Auto Loons blog. Share your thoughts in the comments below, follow, give the post a bump and join the tribe for plenty more updates to come. Cheers!

*All images from Giorgio Piola & Formula One