Lack of downforce/grip despite ground effect?

Question

I'm not an expert on the effects that the new regulations have on the car this year, but I'm wondering if anyone else feels that the cars in F1 22 feel too light and slidey against the track, that there's not enough overall downforce and/or mechanical grip despite the fact that ground effect made a return this year?

I've spent the past month or so playing F1 22 on and off, and it's only since I went back to play a weekend on F1 2021 today that I realised how not-planted the cars are this year compared to last year. In F1 2021 today, I was able to push the car through corners and it felt connected with the track. I'm just not getting that with F1 22's cars with either their default presets or with tweaking. They feel like there's a mixture of lack of grip and not enough overall downforce, not enough plant or downward weight. They slide about, they don't grip to the track, it's like driving a soapbox on pram wheels sometimes.

Is this how the cars really are this year or is there an issue with physics that needs to be improved?

stevejackson · Answer

Teams have gone with less topside aero this season because of ground effect. Ride height is critical to achieve the correct conditions and can be broken by ground effect being too severe (leading to porpoising) i.e. ground effect too large, excess downforce causes car to bottom, breaking ground effect, gap is restored ground effect reattaches. Bottoming is solved by stiffening the car but is then bad for suspension - most of the older suspension movement was in the low pressure tyres which are gone for higher pressure low profiles with no suspension and means the car is more sensitive to bumps. .This alters the airflow beneath the car and also breaks the ground effect. It's basically this equation that they're trying to balance with varying track temperature, less movement in the tyres to generate temperature and therefore grip. Less topside aero result is also reduced drag so adding more to compensate if you raise the ride height to combat the bottoming makes the car slower.

If you can work it out, you can earn Newey freedoms.

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Lack of downforce/grip despite ground effect?

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