F1 is bringing sexy back in 2021

The F1 scene will see a momentous change come 2021 with new regulations and completely redesigned cars. Let us take a brief walk through the changes.

Most noticeable change would be the departure to a more fluidic design that seamlessly blends the halo crash protection bar. The wheels get upsized to 18-inch with lower profile tyres, increasing sidewall stiffness.

It’s not just for looks, a solution was needed to reduce the loss of downforce and effects of dirty air when driving right behind another car.

Dirty air is created when the car punches through the air and leave vortices in its wake. This reduces the airflow over the car behind it and ultimately reduces downforce by around 40 percent for 2019 cars.

The new design reduces the loss to within 5-10 percent by directing air channeled from underneath higher and makes the air less disruptive for the car behind, enabling drivers to race closely.

Another significant change would be the cost cap. Every team is limited to a budget of USD 175m. This is to level the playing field and give the smaller teams a competing chance.

Parts like the engine, gearbox, brakes and exhaust will be restricted over the year to reduce costs. There will also be prescribed design of parts and the introduction of standardised parts.

The race weekend format has also been revised by slashing a day of preparation work off and condensing the weekend to free up calender space, allowing for an extended season.

One thing will be maintained though - the engine. As much as we would love to hear the return of the screaming V10s, the V6 hybrid power units will be carried forward to 2021.