Spray still a big problem in F1: 'This is what we want to test'

It is still a problem: the large spray coming from under the cars in rainy conditions. Since the rulebook change in 2022, more water is coming out from under the cars, causing visibility to be reduced. Speaking to Motorsport.com, the FIA director who deals with the single-seater classes, Nikolas Tombazis, says the FIA will soon conduct new tests to reduce the spray.

With the new regulations, the cars are much lower to the ground, causing several problems. For instance, the drivers suffered from porpoising, the up and down bouncing of the car at the rear. But there are also problems in the rain, because due to the low position of the car, more water has to be carried, which causes more spray to be released.

Trying to reduce spray in Formula 1

The FIA has tried to solve the problem before with splash guards behind the tyres, but this was not yet successful. Tombazis says new tests will be done soon: "In the next tests we will carry out, we will test complete coverage of the wheel, going even beyond what would be needed to understand what the threshold is at which the spray forms. Then we will decide which path to take." The Greek goes on to say that the FIA believes that the tyres account for about 40 per cent of the spray and that aids from the automotive industry are being looked at.