McLaren’s Andrea Stella lauds Formula 1 aerodynamic testing restrictions for levelling the playing field

After being placed P5 in the constructors’ standings, McLaren will receive a 5% increase in wind tunnel testing time.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella (Image credit: Motorsport Week)

Introduced in 2021 via Appendix 7 of the F1 sporting regulations, the ATR mechanism serves as a sophisticated handicap system. Its purpose is to foster a more balanced competitive landscape within the field. Resetting every six months, adjustments are derived from the previous year’s constructors’ championship. This ensures fairness in the January to June period and adapting to standings by June 30.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella voiced his appreciation for this regulation. Gratitude was expressed by the Italian for having a slightly greater time allocation compared to the leading teams. He also noted that a multitude of promising concepts are at our disposal for wind tunnel testing.

While extensive hours can be spent in the wind tunnel, Andrea emphasized that the pivotal factor is the caliber of ideas and concepts incorporated into the development process. He further observed that our current stance appears favorable in this regard, thus making McLaren receptive to the additional hours.

FS Video

“We certainly welcome having a few more hours than the top teams. It looks like we now have [more] good ideas to bring to the wind tunnel. The real game changer is the quality of the ideas and the quality of the concepts you put in the wind tunnel development. We seem to be in a good position from this point of view, so we welcome the extra hours,” Andrea Stella stated according to Racingnews365.

Also read: Lando Norris says he ‘doesn’t like’ driving MCL60 despite huge improvement in results

Extended aerodynamic testing shapes competitiveness in the F1 field

Red Bull’s RB19 (Image credit: The Telegraph)

In the 2023 season, Red Bull takes the lead, granting them a significant 70% share of the total aerodynamic testing allowance. Nevertheless, due to their violation of the 2021 budget-cap regulations, they face a 10% reduction from the original allotment, leaving them with 63% until the lapse of their 12-month penalty in October.

The overall allowance experiences a modest uptick of five percent, encompassing all teams and ranging down to AlphaTauri in the tenth position. They will enjoy 115% of the default allowance, enabling 40 wind tunnel runs per week. Divided into two-month intervals, there will be three testing periods spanning from the beginning of July to the conclusion of December.

ATR’s exempt “windtunnel testing solely for the development of power unit heat exchangers that reject heat to air”.

This means they can develop innovations like the inlet we see here more freely, thus taking advantage of a loophole, you could say.#HungarianGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/bf5BJBpE4j
— Ashley Woodhouse (@AshWoody90) July 23, 2023

Enhanced aerodynamic testing time fosters greater experimentation with new components, expediting development and augmenting in-season upgrades. The regulations, slated until at least 2025, aim to level the playing field. This period’s importance lies more in preparing for the next year, as teams pivot focus towards their 2024 cars.