How a drivers' letter helped set in motion F1's new rules era

One of the key motivators for the latest ground effect cars is to improve the racing, with F1's bosses hoping that more exciting battles will help bring in bigger audiences in the future.

But at the core of what is changing is something even more important: producing a series that is a thrill for the drivers themselves. They, like fans, have never especially liked grand prix cars that were so difficult to overtake.

Tracing back the origins of how F1 bosses elected to embrace a complete rethink of rules, one of the catalysts for change was a push from the drivers themselves. It was the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, under chairman Alex Wurz, that came together and wrote to Liberty Media chiefs shortly after they bought F1 at the end of 2017.

In that letter, as Wurz explains, it was emphasised that F1's old philosophy of aerodynamics was the enemy of close racing – so something that needed to be addressed if grand prix racing was going to boom.

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"We (the GPDA) worked on a document to be presented to the new owners, and it perfectly coincided with Ross [Brawn] and Pat [Symonds] joining Liberty," explained the former Benetton, McLaren and Williams F1 driver this week, reflecting on the origins of the push to change the rules.

"We knew there was a chance to initiate and support change, so we sent our letter out to Liberty, the teams and FIA, to request a study to change aerodynamic rules.

"We asked them to study abandoning the principal concept of the front wing flow sensitivity, and move toward a more robust aerodynamic platform, which should help drivers to follow each other closely."

Wurz, who has long been known for his technical qualities and analytical insights on motorsport, knew that a scientific approach was what was needed to help F1 choose the right path for better racing.

GPDA chairman Alex Wurz was at the forefront of a push for new regulations

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

"The air behind a race car is turbulent," the Austrian says. "This results in the following car simply losing grip and the capacity to drive fast behind another competitor. That is why aerodynamics have been an enemy of overtaking and fighting on track for decades.

"Over the years, the sport tried to come up with solutions. But these were only attempted quick fixes, and not new systematically developed concepts. The drivers' letter was not a scientific work, but it was a clear and strong push and request to help F1 to be confident in its own search for helping the sport.

"Therefore, I believe the new rules have been a great example of the four key stakeholder forces (F1, FIA, the teams and GPDA) being aligned and jointly working on medium and long term objectives, which are separated from teams' own performance driven agendas.

"However, whilst I am certain the new rules are a very good direction, we have to also be realistic in what we can and cannot expect now."

That final comment is important because Wurz accepts that it is unrealistic to expect the 2022 rules to deliver from the very first race. He thinks there will need to be a bedding in period where the grid can compress itself after what will likely be a big spread early on.

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Moreover, Wurz is well aware of how good the drivers are and thinks overtaking will never be totally easy.

"When the best drivers compete against each other and make very few mistakes, plus with car performance being very equal, overtaking is of course difficult," explains the Austrian, who scored three F1 podiums in his 69 race starts.

"I hope no one expects to see hundreds of overtakes per race. But, in the long run, we will see a more compact field and better natural racing. An overtake will always be an act of skill and bravery, which is why we all love one great natural overtaking much more than ten or more DRS overtakes....

Wurz expects to see improved overtaking potential from the new cars

Photo by: McLaren

"However, I think that initially the grid will be further apart in their lap times, which is a usual effect of new rules. One team will inevitably find the optimum of a new rule set faster than others. But even if we see a more spread out field in 2022, I am certain that the new rule set is key for a better F1 future.

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"Once all teams work the rules out, we should get a much more compact field, and also much closer racing. Hence the prospect of the new rules are very exciting – if we remain realistic and patient."

But beyond a more exciting time for drivers if the field is closer and the racing is better, Wurz thinks there will be some unintended benefits elsewhere that will transform the nature of F1 races.

"If all the field is closer together, then the overall strategy will be significantly harder to foresee," he added.

"Previously the top teams knew that after 15 to 20 laps they had a safe pitstop window due to their superior performance. Now, if this window never opens, the planning of strategy will suddenly be way more complex and unpredictable. This is a welcome side effect.

"And all this goes along the key point that the drivers have always pushed for: that we have to ensure that F1 is a sport and not a manufactured show.

"The closer the field is together, the more exiting F1 come across. It's something we have seen with the amazing growth of popularity which has been helped by other key factors, like opening up social media output from teams and drivers, alternative media outputs, and letting the drivers be stars, unlike in previous decades."

All eyes are now on seeing what is delivered on track in 2022.