Formula 1 teams are having to grapple with some of the most complex rules in the history of the sport, due to the return of ground effects.
The cars are now the most sensitive they have ever been to set up changes, due to the impact the ground effects have on the mechanical aspects of the car.
Red Bull had a headstart in 2022 with Adrian Newey’s expertise, with the RB18 being the only car that did not suffer from the porpoising issue that plagued other teams.
Mercedes was hit the worst due to their excessive downforce levels, while other teams struggled to make their concept work without impacting other areas on the car.
Speaking to AMuS, Newey believes there is one banned F1 aid that could help a lot of teams who are struggling with extracting performance from the current generation of ground-effect cars.
Adrian Newey believes active suspension would help F1 teams with current ground effect cars
Back in 1994 the FIA banned active suspension on the basis that it was classed as a driver aid. The system, which was used to great effect on the 1993 Williams FW15C, enabled drivers to actively change the ride height throughout a lap without any input.
It was probably one of the most advanced cars of its time, taking Alain Prost to a fourth and final world championship. Newey believes much of the technology that made it successful could be used to great effect today.
Newey: “What active suspension does, is it allows you to have much more optimised aerodynamics. Because now you’ve got a ride height window the car has to work in, so you can optimise the aerodynamics around that restricted window.”
Michael Schmidt: “If you had it today, would it make things much easier with the ground effect cars?”
Newey: “For sure. That would remove all the compromises teams are struggling with.”
Adrian Newey’s impact after leaving Red Bull
Red Bull’s 2024 season was thrown into disarray when Newey announced he would be leaving them midway through the year.
The RB20 was proving to be a tough car to set up and Newey’s expertise was needed more than ever, and it was clear that his exit played a role in their drop-off.
READ MORE: Adrian Newey resigned after Red Bull staff did something to 2024 car he was ‘strongly against’
Although the RB20 still took nine race wins last year, it was not as competitive as its 2023 counterpart, the dominant RB19.
Newey’s influence went beyond designing the car according to Red Bull staff, he was also involved in the strategy and car setup, and that is ultimately part of the reason why they struggled to match Ferrari and McLaren in the latter stages of 2024.
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