So, I know very little when it comes to aerodynamics and I saw this question years ago but with new technology/more mature CFD tools I was wondering why F1 cars still don't use functional coatings on some part of the car.
A couple of weeks ago I came across a company creating shark skin microstructure coatings which means they produce drag-reducing textured coatings as well as a nice way of applying them. Currently, they use it on turbine blades and boats and stuff but I started wondering why isn't F1 doing this?
Especially because the technique has been existing for quite a while, I'm wondering if there is an actual reason for not doing this. Was it more a question of "it could never be done" or is it completely useless? I understand that any texture on your surface generates turbulent flow you cant control but does this mean its useless for the entire car?