---
title: "Here’s the 2021 Season Formula 1 Car Performing a Wind Tunnel Test"
description: "The test mule features the new 18-inch wheels and simplified aero kit rules scheduled to debut in 2021."
date: "2019-08-22"
modified: "2019-08-22"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/29523/heres-the-2021-season-formula-1-car-performing-a-wind-tunnel-test"
categories:
  - "F1"
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
---

# Here’s the 2021 Season Formula 1 Car Performing a Wind Tunnel Test

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/08/2021-concept-rendering-1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The 2019 Formula 1 season is just enjoying its mid-year summer break, but back at the FIA (and secret team garages most likely not abiding by the rules), loads of engineers and physicists are hard at work mocking up prototypes of the [2021 Formula 1 car](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/27265/sebastian-vettel-isnt-promising-to-stay-in-formula-1-after-next-year>). And as this video shows, a scaled-down version of the future racer is already undergoing serious wind tunnel testing.

The footage and technical debrief were uploaded to F1's official [YouTube channel](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vsBPDsAlm0&feature=player_embedded>) to highlight some of the biggest changes between the current and future F1 cars. Of course, the narrator quickly discloses that this prototype shows "the potential vision F1 and the FIA have for the sport's future cars." In other words, it may not look anything like this once 2021 rolls around.

https://youtube.com/embed/0vsBPDsAlm0

Perhaps the most noticeable change is the wheel size, with the new 2021 car touted to roll on 18-inch wheels and low-profile Pirelli tires. Current cars are equipped with 13-inch wheels and race on slick tires with sizable sidewalls, meaning that regulations will not only increase wheel size by a whopping five inches but also alter grip and cornering forces drastically.

In terms of the overall design, the new regulations that govern the bodywork will aim to reduce the turbulence or "dirty air" currently generated by the leading car in a lead-follow scenario. Much like a boat, an F1 car leaves a wake of dirty air for the car following closely behind, meaning the car doing the chasing loses as much as 50 percent aero grip, which in turn means it has to back away instead of [challenging for a pass.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/28126/formula-one-titan-niki-lauda-dead-at-70>)

The video shows a robotic rake lowering itself behind the "leading car," measuring the air disturbance created by the new-gen design, showing alleged improvements of up to 30 percent in reduced turbulence.

With every team looking out for their own interests, it'll be interesting to see which changes actually come to fruition and which are left on the drawing board. While the FIA has the power to push regulation changes without needing the teams' approval, it always has to be mindful of the likes of Ferrari, who oftentimes [threatens to leave the sport](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/25708/top-10-driving-moments-of-the-2018-formula-1-season>) should the rules not favor them. Teams like McLaren and Mercedes-AMG could also threaten to leave if they feel their investments could yield higher returns elsewhere (with lax rules).

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)