5 hours ago
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From 2022-25, the cars were based around an aerodynamic philosophy known as 'ground effect'. They had curved venturi tunnels under the car - essentially turning the underside of the car into two giant wings - which created an area of low pressure that sucked the car to the track.
Governing body the FIA decided to abandon this approach because it led to cars that needed to be run low and with very stiff suspension for optimum performance. The drivers have welcomed this change because the previous cars were uncomfortable to drive and led to back problems.
The new cars have reverted to what is known as a "step-plane" philosophy. The underside is flat in the area between the wheels, with a central part - the chassis, in which the driver sits - lower than the floor on either side.
In addition, the cars have been made narrower, smaller and about 30kg lighter, to increase their manoeuvrability.
For now, the cars will be a little slower around a lap - it was about two seconds or so in pre-season testing in Bahrain. But that will change as development matures the designs.
The most obvious change, though, is to the front and rear wings.
The engine formula was arrived at before the chassis rules, and it quickly became obvious that the cars would be energy starved. So compromises had to be made to help the cars work better with the new engines and harvest sufficient energy.
Braking is the predominant way of recovering energy in a hybrid car, but the old cars would not have been braking for long enough to generate sufficient electricity.
To increase top speeds and increase braking distances, the rule-makers came up with moveable aerodynamics, which will be known as 'straight-line mode' - the front and rear wings will lie flat on the straights to reduce drag.
The tyres were reduced in width for the same reason - by 25mm at the front and 30mm at the rear.
The knock-on effect of that is that the old drag-reduction system (DRS) overtaking aid, which opened the rear wings on the straights for a speed boost for a car if it was within one second of the car in front, could no longer be used. The wings were already open for another reason.
Instead, an 'overtake' mode has been introduced - essentially, allowing the driver in the car behind to use their electrical boost for longer if they are the required distance behind.
