Why the end of F1’s design divergence is nothing to be sad about
OPINION: Formula 1 cars with different design concepts are popular with fans, but this invariably doesn't last long once the best philosophy becomes clear and is followed by others. Yet the closing up of the field that should result from Ferrari and Mercedes ditching their sidepods should be welcomed
There is no more fitting phrase for describing Formula 1’s non-stop development war than: “If you can’t beat them, join them.” As the cars rolled out of the garages at the start of practice for last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, efforts by Red Bull’s closest rivals to topple it had further manifested themselves into the art of imitation.
Where once we were treated to a rule set that had opened the door for some pretty divergent thinking when it came to optimising things for the new ground effect era, now things are properly converging. The zeropod that Mercedes had pursued was killed off as part of its Monaco Grand Prix update, and now Ferrari has abandoned its unique in-wash bathtub solution in favour of a step towards Red Bull’s downwash solution.
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