Quote Originally Posted by Nitrodaze View Post
I have always wondered how the 2021 cars would attain the same level of downforce as the current cars with its smaller rear wings. Autosport has a youtube piece that explain the ground effect reintroduced into the 2021 cars. Ground effect was banned in the 80s after damage to the venturi skirts resulted in collapsse of the ground effect,. thus resulting in cars flying of the track into the barriers with sometimes injurious consequences.

The new car has been designed with structural vanes that channel air under the car. Inspecting the new car prototypes, one could see they are well incorporated into the architecture of the chassis. Certainly better than the skirts bolted onto the side of the cars in the past.

Ground effect is a welcomed addition to the regulation as it helps to clean up the air exiting the back of the car and allow closer racing. So there are good stuff in the new regulations. I certainly like the look of the car. I think the car may play into the hands of the younger generation drivers. Leclerc and Verstapen especially may find they can thrive better in the new era.
The big thing that the new regs will help with is following and attacking. The wake behind the current winged cars is just a massive plume of dirty air. The ground effect cars will cut this down quite a bit, and allow the faster cars to attack.