![2023 F1 car loses around 0.5 seconds due to floor rule change[F1-Gate.com]](https://i0.wp.com/f1-gate.com/media/img2023/20230104-f1car-2023.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "2023 F1 car loses around 0.5 seconds due to floor rule change[F1-Gate.com]")
F1 teams will need to regain the performance of their 2023 F1 cars by around half a second of lap time due to changes to the floor rules aimed at reducing overtaking.
Following the problem of excessive bouncing that many F1 teams faced last year, the FIA has stepped in to eliminate the phenomenon.
As well as introducing short-term fixes using the Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric (AOM), F1’s governing body has also been pushing for changes to the technical regulations for 2023.
One of the most important is the 15 mm higher floor edge. This is intended to discourage teams who want to run their cars close to the ground where porpassing problems occur.
FIA single-seater technical director Nicholas Tombazis believes fine-tuning of the rules has been essential, revealing the extent of the performance drop F1 teams are expected to suffer.
“There is no doubt we did the right thing,” Tombazis said of the decision to change the rules.
“We have tried to find practical solutions, in the short and medium term. Porpathing will not disappear completely, but it will be one step less”.
“Not that much,” said Nicolas Tombazis when asked how much downforce he expects F1 teams to lose.
“I think we lose about 15-20 points of downforce, or about half a second.”
“But obviously the development will probably go further.”
While many F1 teams have been completely taken by the extent of the porpoise of their 2022 F1 cars, Nicholas Tombazis believes no one anticipated the scale of the problem.
“He surprised everyone a bit,” said Nicholas Tombazis.
“There have been hypocritical comments from some people in our Hilltrik division, historical figures and others, but no one has accurately predicted it.”
“But once we understood quite well how the problem could arise, we took some measures and in the meantime the team learned a lot about it. Overall, from Baku, for example, when you find out what happened, I think there is It was obviously a big change.”
F1 teams and the FIA now have a better understanding of the overtaking problem, but Nicolas Tombazis thinks it would be wrong to think the problem will disappear forever.
“I think the changes will essentially reduce that,” Nicholas Tombazis said.
“But we’ll have to see if we’re far enough from that edge or if we dive in occasionally.”
