Red Bull gets less time in wind tunnel in 2021, Mercedes more
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- GPblog.com
Mercedes may spend relatively more time in the wind tunnel in the second half of the 2021 season. As of this year, Formula 1's regulations regarding aerodynamic testing dictate that a team ranked lower in the Constructors' Championship than last year get more hours to (continue) developing.
More or less time?
This is currently the case for four teams in the premier class, namely Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine and Haas F1. On the other hand, the teams in a higher position in the rankings will have less time. For the teams in the same position in the Constructors' Championship, there is no change in the time available in the wind tunnel.
All this is according to The Race. The reliable medium further writes on its website: "The sporting regulations set a limit for windtunnel testing (RWTT) of 40 runs per week and CFD testing (RCFD) of 2000 items per ATR test period. The year is divided into six ATR periods, the majority of which are effectively eight-week blocks. The block including the summer break covers 10 weeks, but includes two weeks of shutdown."
Since this season, Formula 1 has been using a handicap system for aero development. The number ten in the standings gets the most wind tunnel time, while the leader of the championship gets the least number of hours. The purpose of this concept is to level the grid. For every place you gain or lose on the ranking, you get 2.5 percent extra time or less time.
Luck for Mercedes
How much time the teams were allowed to use the wind tunnel in the first half of the year was based on the final ranking of the constructors' championship of last season. On July 1 the current ranking will be used as the basis and that means that Red Bull gets less time and Mercedes more.