F1 has accidentally solved its dirty air problem

Formula 1 has been preoccupied with the negative effect of downforce loss while following in another car’s dirty air for 20 years. Vast amounts of energy have been expended analysing and attempting to mitigate this through aerodynamic regulations, yet it has accidentally stumbled upon the fix among the myriad unintended consequences of the 2026 regulations.Set aside arguments about the nature of the overtaking and wheel-to-wheel racing and whether this is an acceptable trade for now. Instead, focus on the irony that F1 has inadvertently crashed into the reality that this aerodynamic problem could never be solved exclusively by aerodynamic means, given the stubbornness of the laws of physics. A fast r …