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Factors that had limited this in the past were viewed as the outwash – the flow of air coming from the trailing edge of a wing – generated by the front wing, plus the various tricks employed with the front brake ducts and axle.
This was why F1 chiefs and the FIA put a great deal of effort in to ensure that the regulations were pretty robust in these areas.
A soft launch of these ideas was carried out as an interim measure in 2019, with some of the more complex surface geometries, cascades and winglets stripped from the outer portion of the front wing. Blown axles were also banned.
And, while the 2022 regulation changes went several steps further, teams are simply not going to relinquish the power these areas commanded.
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