Dirty Air:
The Enemy of Racing
Why is it so hard to follow another car closely? The answer lies in the chaotic wake of turbulence known as "Dirty Air".
What is Dirty Air?
When an F1 car slices through the air, it leaves a chaotic, swirling wake of low-pressure air behind it. This is called "Dirty Air".
The car following behind needs "Clean Air" (smooth, undisturbed airflow) for its wings to work properly.
Why Dirty Air Makes Overtaking So Hard
Loss of Downforce
Wings can't "grip" the turbulent air. The car loses up to 30-40% of its downforce.
Understeer
Front tyres lose grip, meaning the car won't turn into the corner.
Overheating
Hot exhaust air from the leading car is sucked into the radiators and brakes.
Tyre Sliding
Lack of grip causes sliding, which destroys the tyre surface.
The 2026 "In-Wash" Concept
The 2022 regulations tried to fix this by throwing the wake upwards (the "mushroom" wake).
The 2026 regulations take a different approach called "In-Wash". This works alongside Active Aero and Manual Override to improve racing.
The bodywork is designed to keep the turbulent air narrow and close to the car's centerline, or direct it inwards, rather than throwing it wide. This theoretically leaves "cleaner" air on the outside for a following car to use when trying to overtake.