How Canadian GP exposed another ‘hole’ in the F1 regulations

The ground effect era of Formula 1 has had its fair number of flaws to say the least, but a lesser-reported one reared its head in the Canadian Grand Prix.

While running in a promising top-five position during the opening stages in Montreal, Lewis Hamilton’s race unravelled on Lap 13 when he struck a groundhog.

Ferrari estimated that the seven-time F1 champion had lost up to 20 points of downforce from the floor of his car due to the strike, costing him vital lap time.

This level of damage cost Hamilton an estimated half a second a lap, denying him a potential top-four result and an outside shot at a maiden Ferrari podium.

Unfortunately, in this era, this isn’t the first and probably won’t be the last time a driver is cost a result due to floor damage.

The dependence on floor-generated downforce means any form of damage to this part of the car will only be a detriment to a driver’s result.

While any damage to an F1 car can be race-ending, some can be temporarily remedied. Front wing damage, for example, while being costly, is not always a race-ender.

Yet every time the current ground effect cars pick up floor damage, it is not something that can be fixed.

Hamilton himself has fallen foul of this before, in Spielberg Austria last season, most recently. While Mercedes team-mate George Russell would go on to inherit victory after the clash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, Hamilton would finish a low-key fourth.

It would later be revealed by Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff that Hamilton had suffered extensive floor damage due to striking a kerb.

Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen has also suffered floor damage, losing out to Lando Norris in last year’s Miami Grand Prix after a bollard caused damage to his Red Bull’s floor.

Fragile floors the latest flaw to F1 rules

Unfortunately, the fragility of the floors is just the latest regulation-based flaw in the last decade of F1.

The ground effect regulations were put in place to fix the complexity of the previous era of cars’ sidepods and bargeboards.

By the end of 2021, F1 cars looked more reminiscent of space ships than F1 cars and were becoming way too overdeveloped.

They would also suffer in the same way if damaged in any way, although to a much lesser degree.

While results could still be adversely affected by damage to these hugely important pieces of bodywork, it came at a much lower rate.

The most notable incident of this was at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen completing the entire race with an entire bargeboard destroyed.

The Dutchman would miraculously limp home to 10th on the road with a car that “had less downforce” than Mick Schumacher’s Haas, the slowest car in the field.

However, the difference between the spaceship bargeboards and the current era floors is how susceptible they are to damage.

The bargeboards could always be damaged in collisions, the same as the floors, but ground effect floors don’t need other cars to become damaged.

The smallest piece of debris, a kerb strike, or even a stray animal on the track can instantly lose up to three tenths off the bat.

And in a season where the top cars are all so close in terms of pace, teams can lose valuable results through no fault of their own.

Take Hamilton in Canada, a competitive run to a possible top four and a boost to a somewhat negative season so far, became another lonely run to sixth and another drop in morale.

Is active aero the answer?

A lot has been pinned on the next set of regulations coming next season, and hopefully they will see an end to races being lost to innocuous floor damage.

The 2026 cars will rely a lot more on active aerodynamics, where the front and rear wings move to adjust the downforce levels dependent on what the car needs at the time.

While they are primarily designed to address the lack of on-track action and to make overtaking easier by reducing the effects of dirty air, there’s a hope that they can also fix this problem.

It may not be the most pressing of issues facing the sport in this current era, but it is something that needs to be addressed.

Fans are getting bored of hearing about their driver’s race being ruined by something as almost meaningless as ‘floor damage’.

As well as fans, drivers will also be frustrated, as they have to change the way they drive to adjust to the possibility of picking up this kind of damage.

At certain tracks like Austria, where kerbs are not only vital to lap time but also a risk to the car, drivers may take fewer risks, which is something no one wants to see.

With only 15 races left of the ground effect era, hopefully we can soon say goodbye to the era of fragile floors and their race-ending consequences.

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