Red Bull and Audi’s floor stay loophole explained: what changes for 2027?

A component designed to support the floor has given Red Bull and Audi extra freedom to shape their sidepods. By exploiting an exemption around floor stays, the teams have created more aggressive undercuts than the normal bodywork rules permit.

That opportunity remains available for the rest of 2026. For 2027, tighter restrictions will substantially reduce its scope.

How a structural part became an aerodynamic opportunity

F1’s bodywork regulations generally require rounded edges and transitions between surfaces. These limits restrict the sharp shapes aerodynamicists can use to manipulate airflow.

Floor stays have a different purpose: they brace the floor against aerodynamic loads. Crucially, bodywork within 20mm of a stay receives an exemption from the usual radius requirements.

Red Bull recognised that positioning a stay along the outer ridge of the sidepod undercut could serve two purposes. It would still support the floor, while allowing the surrounding bodywork to adopt a sharper profile.

Audi subsequently introduced its interpretation with its Baku upgrade, adding another development strand to the manufacturer’s wider F1 engineering programme.

Why sharper sidepods matter

The undercut channels air beneath the sidepod towards the rear of the car. Its effectiveness depends on how that airflow interacts with the floor, diffuser and rear-wheel region.

A deeper, more sharply defined channel can strengthen pressure differences and accelerate air towards the space between the rear tyre and diffuser. That interaction can help draw air through the underbody more quickly, increasing downforce.

The gain comes from how the surfaces work together, rather than from the floor stay generating performance in isolation. A small regulatory exemption can therefore influence a much larger aerodynamic system.

Why the rules favour rounded bodywork

Radius restrictions address more than appearance. Sharp edges offer engineers greater control over vortices, but can also produce less stable airflow that disrupts a following car.

More complex flow structures demand additional research, increasing development costs. Thin edges can also make it easier to exploit bodywork flexibility.

There is a safety consideration, too: rounded profiles reduce the danger posed by sharp debris to tyres and track workers.

What changes in 2027?

The exemption around floor stays will shrink from 20mm to 5mm, alongside new requirements governing bodywork intersections and continuity.

Together, those changes are intended to remove much of the freedom that makes the current interpretation attractive. Floor stays will retain their structural role, but offer far less room for aerodynamic exploitation.

For the remaining 2026 races, rivals can still pursue the concept. Whether copying it is worthwhile will depend on development resources, integration with existing bodywork and the limited time before the revised rules arrive.

For further updates, explore our Audi coverage.