Biggest regs change ever? Engine and aero simultaneously. Some guesses at what we’ll see in a couple of months:
Front pushrod. The front wing pressure distribution has changed. The largest part of the wing is now outboard, the opposite of the 2022 formula which had the largest part of the wing inboard. This will alter the flow fields between the front wheels.
Rear pushrod. The diffuser is not as tall but the onset of the diffuser remains in approximately the same location as the 2022 formula. It is perhaps better to not risk impinging upon it with pullrod mechanisms, although the higher CoG of a pushrod assembly could conflict with the use of rake.
Curved radiators. The previous regulations for many years demanded planar forms. Now they do not. I think we’ll see some clever things and hopefully some wild interpretations that coincide with the new louver allowances. First speculation about this posted online that I know of:
https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewt ... 7#p1311337
Mid-body radiator efflux. To take advantage of the larger louver allowance, and they may not even look like louvers. Hopefully someone tries to route all efflux through large openings in this area. Illustration:
https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewt ... 1#p1293691
Bizarre diffuser fences. The fences (the two fins or strakes that will be allowed to be fitted inside the diffuser) must fit within a tall, straight, narrow box, thus the main ways to innovate with them is with the side profile shape and with legality-conforming surface undulations not unlike what we saw ’22-type edge wings. Filling the legality box with something simple would provide something that is not oriented with local flow. Illustrations:
https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewt ... 0#p1300140
Volumetrically the smallest engine covers ever. ~30% less fuel being burned means smaller radiators. Note, in terms of nomenclature, the engine cover shrouds the radiators, not the sidepods, and this has been the case for at least a decade. I think we’ll see new engine cover and sidepod concepts that might look normally sized, or even large, but in terms of cross-sectional area, they should still be the smallest ever, and if someone combines this with a more typical radish-shaped engine cover, it will probably look extremely compact.
Horizontal floor board slats. First known suggestion online:
https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewt ... 1#p1293691
Rake. The question is how much. The rear wing allowance seems small relative to the size of the front wing, and there are no beam wings. Use rake to increase overall downforce that is necessarily rearward of the front axle. That said--does rake conflict with using higher center of gravity pushrods at the rear...
Items not yet given much attention online:
Diffuser winglet. It seems like that there will be a common, FIA supplied 3-element wing that will attach to the side of the diffuser. It’s unclear to me what it is called. It looks like previous years’ rear brake duct wings, just attached to the diffuser. It is barely visible on early FIA renderings and the Audi livery renderings. The “Diffuser Winglet” allowance seems to be a single element flap that the teams can add to the top of the common 3-element wing. It must only be single-section, but obviously in official renderings there’s a four element wing in that area, so this is how I’ve resolved the discrepancy for myself.
Floor stays. A total of five stays are permitted per side, four tension stays (one on the foot, three on the floor proper) and one tension/compression stay stabilizing the floor board. Will anyone go that far? Or need to. If a flat floor is made as thin as possible, you’d need stays to support it.
Specific front and rear wing solutions. These specific regs are very complicated, obscurely worded, and span several pages. Thus, no takers online so far other than some basic interpretations.
Just imagine the carnage.
