Countless races and even entire seasons in Formula One can be decided by margins so small that they are imperceptible to most spectators, except to very experienced technical specialists.

Milliseconds in qualifying, centimeters of white paint defining the limits of the track, and tire degradation by the millimeters can make or break the careers of some of the most talented drivers in the world, while they are essentially impossible for those watching at home or on the track to really discern in the moment.

Every elite sport is defined by small improvements over long periods of time, but the level of technology in F1 means that these improvements are often hidden from the viewer's eye and often the subject of intense public politicking.

Now, another typically imperceptible and rather rudimentary technology can be added to the list of imperceptible things that make all the difference in F1: a plank of wood in the floorboards of the cars.

How do the floors work in F1?

F1 went through its biggest technical regulation change in a generation this year, with the sport returning to ground effect aerodynamics for the first time since the 1980s. All 10 teams had to redesign their cars from scratch, ending Mercedes' eight-year dominance as the fastest team on the grid and allowing other teams, including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Haas, to move up in the pack.

The name "ground effect" was coined because the aerodynamic theory of the design is to use the floor of the car to generate downforce, which essentially sucks the car onto the asphalt and allows it to go faster around the circuit. All the teams have created intricate floor concepts designed to guide the air under the car in the most efficient way.

The changes were made to allow the cars to follow each other more closely in turn, meaning the drivers could fight each other more often and the overall spectacle of the races improved. So far, although the grid is still so spread out that only a few teams are able to contend for victory, the new regulations are having the desired effect.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have been involved in tactical battles for the lead in several races, swapping positions more often than in recent F1 seasons, while the most recent race in Austria saw five different cars battling it out for the win.ustria saw five different cars battling for ninth place over the course of an entire lap, battles that would have been virtually impossible in the previous iteration of an F1 car.

What do the regulations say?

F1 Technical Regulation 2022
3.15.8 - Flexibility of the Central Floor

A) The body inside the RV-PLANK (wooden plank) may deflect no more than 2mm in the two holes of the plank at XF=1080 and no more than 2mm in the rearmost hole when the car, without a driver, is supported in these positions. The car will be supported on 70mm diameter shims, centered in the holes, and only in contact with the underside of the board set. Displacement will be measured at the supports, relative to the reference plane at the center of each hole.

B) The body on the reference plane may not deflect more than 0.2 mm when the car, without pilot, is supported in the two holes of the board at XF=1080 and in the rear-most hole of the board. The car will be supported on 40mm diameter pads, centered in the holes, and only in contact with the body in the reference plane. For the two holes at XF=1080 the displacement will be measured at the supports, relative to the survival cell reference points detailed in Article 3.2.6. For the rear-most hole, the displacement will be measured in the bracket, relative to the power unit at the highest transmission mounting studs detailed in Article 5.4.8.

What is the flexible floor?

The return to ground effect also had a negative impact. Some teams' cars were bouncing violently at high speed on long straights, with the air underneath the car being pushed back and forth too intensely for the car to handle.

This leads to intense vibrations being sent up the spine of the driver, and means that their heads can be seen bouncing uncontrollably in the cockpit. A plethora of drivers have reported severe back pain caused by the problem, known in English as "porpoiising", and some doctors have expressed concerns about possible long-term neurological damage.

All F1 cars are required to have a long, thin plank of wood along their floorboards, which helps absorb shock. The board has titanium at each end, which is what produces the sparks under the cars as they scrape along the track.

The wooden board can flex up to two millimeters while the car is being driven, and the FIA monitors this at three different points along the board. It is suspected, however, that some teams have floors that are capable of flexing up to six millimeters, and are allowing this to happen to improve the performance of their cars.

This extra flex allegedly occurs at points on the board that are not being monitored by the FIA at the rear and may help explain why some teams suffer far less from the problem than others. The suspicion is that these teams are taking advantage of the fact that the FIA does not monitor flex at the rear - because it was not necessary to do so in cars without ground effect - to take advantage of the fact that the FIA does not monitor flex at the rear.The suspicion is that these teams are taking advantage of the fact that the FIA does not monitor rear end flex - because it was not necessary to do so in cars without ground effect - in order to violate the 2 millimeter maximum flex rule, as well as going against the spirit and intent of the regulation.

Since the FIA monitors only the front part of the board, some teams have split the board in two and let the split rear part flex.

What do the teams say?

The main teams in line are the most successful and wealthy recently: Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

While Red Bull and Ferrari have won all the races between them so far this season, and have faced few problems with the kicks, Mercedes has not been able to fight for wins; drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were until recently too busy worrying about the extremely intense kicks in their W13 car.

Mercedes' Toto Wolff has been accusing Red Bull and Ferrari of allowing their floors to flex too much. "I think so," Wolff said when asked by Sky Sports if some teams were circumventing the rules in Austria. "We can't understand the floorboards of certain teams. We are keeping an eye on our opponents."

Meanwhile, Wolff's Red Bull challenger Christian Horner was blunt in his response to questions about whether his team was breaking the rules. "That's total garbage," Horner exclaimed. "Absolutely no problems or concerns with our floor."

Both Red Bull and Ferrari insist that their floorboards are completely legal, not least because an illegal floorboard that flexes more than allowed is punishable by race disqualification.

What is the FIA doing about this?

Several drivers demanded that the FIA intervene to protect their health and safety after this year's Azerbaijan GP, where many suffered intense back pain from the kicks. Hamilton was filmed struggling to get out of his car at the end of the race.

Subsequently, the FIA issued a technical directive before the Canadian GP, designed to limit how much any car could bounce. But so far it has proved too difficult to implement, and the governing body has been working on an update ever since.

Now it plans to introduce a new directive before the Belgian GP in late August, designed to end the extra flex. Mercedes supports the directive, but Red Bull and Ferrari oppose it.

"I probably wish it would come a little bit sooner," Wolff said. "But it is what it is. At Spa, we won't see that extra flex anymore."

Horner, for his part, said, "The technical guideline is obviously focused on the feel and purpose with which certain cars have struggled. Is it the duty of the competitor to make sure their car is safe? Or is it the FIA's duty to make sure the competitor drives the car safely?"

How might this affect the rest of the season?

If Mercedes' suspicions are true and Red Bull and Ferrari have indeed allowed the back of their floors to flex beyond the limits set by the FIA, the new technical directive for the race at Spa-Francorchamps could prevent them from doing so and have a negative impact on their overall performance, since in addition to improving quik, a flexible rear floor provides more downforce, less drag, and helps with tire management.

This would bring any team that has stayed within the limit from the start closer, but to what extent the gap would narrow cannot be determined until the directive is implemented.

There remains, of course, the possibility that Red Bull and Ferrari are doing nothing of the sort, and that their respective speeds will not be affected from Belgium onwards, meaning that no one else - apart from them - will probably be able to win a single race this season.

Whether major changes happen or the status quo remains, the flexible floor saga is becoming the definition of the season for all F1 teams.

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