While the 2022-’23 regulations remained largely stable, there are four major changes: floor edges raised by 15mm; diffuser throat height raised; diffuser edge stiffness increased and and an additional sensor to monitor porpoising
‘Formula 1 cars all look the same. Paint each of them the same shade of white and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference…’ is a criticism often heard of the sport’s design direction. While perception is in the eye of the beholder, the overriding question is whether this is fact or fiction.
While a case could be made that the previous generation of ‘top-down aerodynamics’ F1 cars shared numerous common design elements, there is absolutely no doubt the pace-setting Red Bulls are as different from the Mercedes W14 as it is possible to be within the latest regulations, and it surely shows in terms of lap time.
Indeed, about the only commonality between cars this year is that their lower halves and certain sensitive components are presented in naked carbon to make individual differences harder to spot. If all the cars were the same, there would be no need to hide differentiators, for there would be none.
Equally, Ferrari (and customer Haas) chose a different concept, albeit one closer to the Red Bull philosophy than to the Silver Arrows. Again, it shows in terms of overall performance of the red cars, which could not be mistaken for that of either the blue or black-hued opposition.
After the first two races of the season run, there are absolutely no doubts that the Red Bull RB19, designed by Adrian Newey and his top-class team in Milton Keynes, is ahead of the field. Lewis Hamilton claims it to be ‘the fastest
