F1 regulations DON'T help competitive racing insists Mercedes chief

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F1 News

F1 regulations DON'T help competitive racing insists Mercedes chief

Technical director James Allison reveals issues with the current F1 regulations.

Sheona Mountford

Friday 15 March 2024 19:11

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Mercedes technical director James Allison has identified what he deems the weaknesses of F1’s regulations.

The 2022 regulations introduced ground effect cars, designed to be less affected by the dirty air, which would allow cars to follow each other more closely and promote overtaking.

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After a short lived title battle with Charles Leclerc at the beginning of 2022, Max Verstappen has dominated this era of Formula 1 now on 56 race victories.

F1 fans have complained about the boring racing so far in 2024 with no fight at the front.

Ground effect cars in action at the Saudi Arabian GP 2024

James Allison reveals regulation limitations

However, James Allison does not blame Red Bull dominance for the lack of a title fight in recent years, instead focusing on the impact of the new regulations.

“I don't necessarily think that they've failed in those terms [of one team dominating], because our job is to try and make sure that we can make a good fight of it,” he said to Motorsport.com.

“But there are things in the regulations that don't serve any of us well. I don't think it's sensible to have cars that hug the ground in the way that these cars hug it.

Mercedes technical director James Allison

“And the idea that you get good racing by controlling wakes, while ignoring tyres… The whole idea of controlling wakes, being something of a tilting-at-windmills type of challenge, that side of things has been tested to destruction fairly evidently.

“But Red Bull are doing a good job and the rest of us have a duty to do a better job.”

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Formula 1 Christian Horner