New F1 Rule Changes Might Backfire on Mercedes and Ruin Hamilton's Chances at His 8th WDC

On the other hand, Mercedes seems giddy about having their request finally acknowledged. However, they might have pulled a Ferrari-level self-sabotage move. The FIA has approved changes to the underfloor configuration in order to reduce reliance on low ride height to improve performance. In addition to raising the floor by 15mm, more stringent rigidity tests for the floor are being implemented. The diffuser hasn’t gotten away scot-free either, as it has also been raised.

The changes have been on the horizon for a while now, but a lot of teams are upset about them being introduced so late. The FIA has tried to brute force changes before by fitting additional elements to the edges of the floor to decrease flexing. Unsurprisingly, Mercedes was the only team on board with that change. The aforementioned flexing is among the key reasons for the bouncing that the teams have been stuck with for the 2022 season.

Now the FIA will monitor how much the cars are bouncing and if the teams are endangering the drivers’ health with their setups. That change will come with the Belgian Grand Prix, and fancier sensors will be fitted to the cars, allowing more accurate measurements of the oscillations. Obviously, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner had something to say about this new development. He cautioned against the FIA intervening too much into how the teams set up their cars as it could set a dangerous precedent.

Now let’s get to how Mercedes might have shot themselves in the metaphorical foot. They have been one of the teams to suffer most severely from the bouncing, and herein lies the issue. The new F1 cars rely on ground effects to generate downforce, meaning they must be close to the ground. However, Mercedes cars are very sensitive to changes in ride height. It has been apparent that once they got their ride height to the right point, they have unlocked serious pace through massively increased downforce.

But these are two of the main reasons causing the bouncing. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has spoken about a medical report he was shown in a meeting at the Hungaroring, highlighting how severe the bouncing was in their cars. If the FIA starts monitoring the oscillations and forcing teams to raise their ride height in Belgium, this might mean really bad news for the Silver Arrows.

Another spanner in the works for Mercedes might be the raising of the floor edges. In the advanced aerodynamics world of Formula 1, the 15mm difference might mean major changes. The downforce generating, low-pressure air under the car increases proportionally to how well the floor’s edges are sealed. The better the seals are, the more the air is prevented from going where the engineers don’t want it. What this means is that teams might have to shift their focus more on vortex generation to achieve the desired results, with Red Bull being one of the teams already taking advantage of this.

While Mercedes engineers could use these changes as a fresh start and an opportunity to develop, it could backfire just as well. If the Silver Arrows fail to innovate and start the season playing catch-up in the same way they did in 2022, they might have to sacrifice the first half of 2023 as well.