Formula 1: 7 big changes made for the 2022 season

Formula 1 new technical regulations: No. 5 – Venturi tunnels

An innovation of the 1970s revived in a new era of driver safety, ground effect has never actually left Formula 1, but it will be reinstated as a core aerodynamic concept within the 2022 regulations.

Originally manufactured by a combination of the floor-angle and bargeboards, ground effect is generated by compressing fast-flowing air into a tight space underneath the car before being released at a lower pressure into the diffuser.

In 2021 and before, this was created with the rake of the car (difference in ride height between front and rear suspension) and vortices coming off of the bargeboards to seal what airflow was present underneath the car.

Venturi tunnels are a direct solution to generating this airflow, putting air through two tunnels on the outside edges of the floor and outputting them to the diffuser after compressing and releasing said airflow. Originally paired with skirts to mechanically seal the underbody airflow, modern Formula 1 teams will develop an aero package that does not need such “decoration”.

One concern with this new central form of generating downforce, though, will be the structural integrity of the floor and its impact on pace once damaged, as it is an element of a Formula 1 car that cannot be easily replaced during the course of a race like a front wing.

Floor damage would significantly harm the pace of a car. With the floor holding a central role in creating downforce within the new regulations, any damage could be race-ending not just due to pace but due to safety concerns.