P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Dirty air is an age-old problem in F1, and the phenomenon got worse than expected in 2023. That’s because some loopholes weren’t close quickly enough – and it looks likely the situation won’t improve again before new rules come in for 2026
in the wake of the new regulations. Despite efforts to minimize the loss of downforce when cars follow each other closely, loopholes in the rules allowed for more downforce to be lost than anticipated. This issue, known as the “dirty air phenomenon,” worsened in 2023, with cars losing 35% of their downforce. The areas of the car that contributed to this problem were the front wing endplate and the wheel furniture area. While the FIA has learned from these mistakes, it is unlikely that improvements will be made before 2026, when new car rules will be implemented. The FIA has the power to outlaw designs that undermine the objective of minimizing aerodynamic performance loss for following cars, but it does not currently see the need for immediate action.
