P1racenews AI automatic summary:
F1’s super-stiff ground effect cars ‘not great’, says Allison
In an effort to improve overtaking, F1 introduced ground effect rules for the 2022 season, forcing teams to run their cars as low as possible with stiff suspension settings, resulting in hard-to-manage set-ups and less enjoyable racing. The previous high-rake and low-rake cars, with rear ride heights of 140mm and 120mm respectively, are now considered stratospheric compared to the current cars with starting heights of around 60mm. The narrow operating window of the current cars limits teams’ and engineers’ options, making it difficult to adapt to different types of tracks. McLaren’s technical director, James Allison, believes that even drivers like Max Verstappen, who is currently succeeding in the current era, are not particularly happy with the new rules. Overall, Allison expresses concerns about the cars operating so close to the ground and believes that the current era lacks the same level of enjoyment as it did a couple of years ago.
