Here is the thing, engineering brilliance in motorsport always walks a fine line, and this time a clever regulation loophole exploited this season by Red Bull and Audi has been shut down for next season. It is wild how teams find these advantages, and the 'floor stay' trick was a masterpiece of regulation bending.
The trick itself bypasses the strict rules limiting the radius angle on the edges of the sidepod. By getting around this limitation, it creates a much more aggressive shape that produces a cleaner airflow along the sidepod undercut as it travels to the rear of the car.
To really understand how this mechanical wizardry works requires looking closely at the bodywork radius regulations. These rules stipulate the maximum permitted radius angles of the various bodywork panels at their corners and edges, making the clever work done by Red Bull and Audi quite the talking point before the ban takes full effect.
