https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-p ... r-problem/
Manually activate X and Z modes ahead of all the straights and corners, manually deploy energy, manually adjust brake bias, engine settings, diff settings. What could go wrong?
One element of the rules revolution that is coming for 2026 is that F1's new cars will feature full active aero.
In cornering mode, the wings will have an increased angle of attack for maximum downforce, while in straightline mode they will be backed off to minimise drag.
Drivers will manually activate the different modes in specific activation zones that will be laid down by the FIA as suitable for drivers to shed downforce.
The regulations have opened the door for straightline mode to be deactivated in certain conditions - such as when the safety car is out, or if the race director feels there are safety concerns.
One such situation is if a race is hit by rain, as it would be deemed too dangerous for cars to be running at high speed with minimal downforce in the wet.
But while this may seem like a logical thing to do, as teams have dug into the rules they discovered a potential unintended consequence from this.
As well as increased drag from running in higher-downforce configuration having implications for energy deployment and fuel use, a much bigger stumbling block cropped up.
This was that if cars were running down straights with wings in high downforce mode, then the forces acting on the car would push it more into the ground - and risk its plank wearing away. McLaren's double disqualification in Las Vegas weekend shows the degree to which plank wear remains a constant pressure.
As Williams team principal James Vowles told The Race earlier this year about the straightline mode use in the wet: "It doesn't sound really exciting or important, but we're going to be running the cars low, and if you disable straightline mode and it dries up, you're just basically going to wear through the front of the car.
"So there's some details like that we've got to get into and fix, but we will do it."
Discussions with teams have taken place at both Technical Advisory and Sporting Advisory Committee level to try to find the best solution.
FIA single seater director Nikolas Tombazis said: "There's been a lot of discussion on this topic with a few different options.
"There were some final discussions on this topic at the technical meeting a few weeks ago, and there are a few different ways to solve it."
Just imagine the carnage.