I don't follow F1 - is this true about the increasing downforce and if so, why is that so?
Is it simply that the drivers get more comfortable pushing the limits?
All of the technical regulations are set in advance of the season (this year’s is https://www.fia.com/file/78015/download/26184). The teams are only allowed to test their cars during a fixed number of “test days”, so they do a _ton_ of simulation pretty much all the time (https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/04/formula-1-technology/).
The chassis (the tub that the driver & engine sit in) doesn’t change much over a season, so the time will be occupied by the team finding ways to move and re-shape things like front and rear wings, so as to increase downforce.
Downforce is king because it allows you to make sharper turns at higher speed without understeeting (where the front refuses to turn) or oversteering (where the back refuses to stop turning). And the technical regulations are really finicky about many areas of the car. And in many ways, the three “free practice” sessions before qualifying are as much about in-season development as they are about getting used to the track.
Yes, as drivers get time in the real car, they begin to understand where they can push. But also the engineers are seeing how the car is responding during real-world conditions, to feed that into the simulation.
The regulations have changed this year so the teams can't use the same aerodynamic designs they had last year. The idea of the new aero regulations is that they will promote overtaking, but it also means the cars will lose downforce:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.aero-changes-to-p...
https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/20555
They'll regain some (and maybe even all) of the lost downforce through new aero approaches that are allowed under the new regulations. The designs will be developed and refined as the season progresses.
The new regulations are intended to promote overtaking. Teams of course are trying to maximize downforce within the new regulations.
My understanding is that to reduce drag, the intakes for cooling air (engine and possibly intercooler) have been minimised to the point where they are sufficient for clean air but insufficient for turbulent air. The engine loses power.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.f1-rules-and-regu...
"What’s the change: A wider, higher – and much simplified – front wing
Why has it been made: To help chasing drivers follow the car in front more closely - and in turn increase the possibility of overtaking."