A few game changers in the last few years were things that were knock-on effects of unintended preperties of a part of the car, then exploited to great effect on purpose. When FIA tried to regulate them, they found themselves tied by the fact that they were either physically unavoidable or unchangeable under the regulations. So regulate they did, but they were only able to reduce their effects, not to eliminate them.
One example is Red Bull's (and others) flexing wings. Wings have always been flexing to some extent anyways.
Another is the exhaust blowdown. Renault could simply claim that this had always been an integral part of their cooling.
More hypothetically, the current incorporation of electric engines might well have some degree of traction control as a secondary effect of the natural behavior of its electric parts. And the system could be designed to enhance this secondary effect.
Now in the engine thread there we are pointing out that some lubrication oil has always been making it into the cylinders, and getting burnt there. If one team were to exploit it to circumvent the fuel limits, they could claim that it has always happened anyway and that it can't be avoided.
So which other things, potentially beneficial and exploitable, "are already happening anyway"?
Another example I can think of: tire and suspension squashing increasing the effective track of the cars.
What else? (Crazy ideas welcome).
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