The start of F1’s new ground effect era witnessed some interesting variation in sidepods, with Red Bull one of many to adopt what is known as a downwash design.
Elsewhere on the grid, Ferrari had its in-wash bathtub solution and Mercedes went with its zeropods.
But as teams have come to better understand what is needed to extract the best performance from the current rules set, and also where the best development potential lies, the downwash idea appears to be winning out.
Both Ferrari and Mercedes have shifted their designs in that direction as part of wider overhauls of their cars, which appear to have delivered much-needed steps forward.
Despite that progress and a general convergence on the Red Bull design idea, Allison thinks it is wrong to suggest that sidepods are a key factor in explaining the performance of teams – especially as he makes clear that all designs are effectively trying to replicate the ‘downwash’ idea.
“I'd be surprised if there was a sidepod on the grid, ours prior, ours post, anybody, that is not a down-washing sidepod,” explained Allison.
“They've been downwashing for years, and I suspect they'll stay that way for some years too.
Source: Autosport