Pre-Season F1 2022

[FB]

A thread for us to contemplate and cogitate on the 2022 season. There will significant changes to the cars which F1.com tells us are:

1. They've been designed specifically to promote better racing
2. The car will feature over-wheel winglets for the first time – and wheel covers are back!
3. The car will feature 18” wheels with low-profile tyres for the first time
4. The front wing and nose concept have been completely re-thought
5. An aero feature from the 70s is back! (sort of)
6. The rear wing features new ‘rolled tips’
7. It will use the same power unit as 2021
8. Cars will run on more sustainable fuel
9. Safety has been at the forefront of the design
10. The 2022 car has been put through over 7,500 simulations to get to this point

See more detail of the hype around these changes here - 10 things you need to know about the all-new 2022 F1 car | Formula 1®

We know the driver line ups for 2022, and that we will have car No.1 back on the grid for the first time since 2014 as we have a new (I hesitate to say) World Drivers Champion in Max Verstappen. The teams are:

Red Bull
Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Ferrari
Charles le Clerc
Carlos Sainz jnr
Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel
Lance Stroll
McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo
Lando Norris
Alfa Romeo
Valterri Bottas
Guanyu Zhou
Williams
Nicolas Lattifi
Alex Albon
Alfa Tauri
Pierre Gasly
Yuki Tusnoda
Alpine
Fernando Alonso
Estaban Ocon
Haas
Mick Schumacher
Nikita Mazepin

One new driver at Alfa, one driver coming back to the sport at Williams and a new all British line up at Mercedes.

So what do we all expect/hope/anticipate will happen? Red Bull no longer have Honda factory support for their engines, will this make a difference? Will the rule changes mean we have one of the smaller teams steal a lead on the others, like Brawn did in 2009? Has the intense battle through the season taken it out of Red Bull, Mercedes, Max and Lewis?

How will the end of the 2021 season impact on how the races are officiated in 2022? We do know that track limits will be (we are told) more vigorously enforced. Do the stewards and race officials have the power or guts to go head to with teams who bring lawyers to the track as well as engineers and drivers?

There is supposed to be 23 races, with a new track in Miami. Given the hopeless nature of the circuit created in Jeddah can the designers get this track right?

The season starts in the bastion of free speech and democracy Bahrain, on 20th March and ends in a similarly delightful country, Abu Dhabi, on 20th November. The full calendar is:

How many will survive the Coronavirus in 2022?

Lots to consider. I hope that the changes to the cars will encourage closer racing, however I've been watching F1 for enough years to know that firstly, those who control the sport rarely get it right, secondly, the teams will cheat and, thirdly, I am often disappointed.

Javelin, pole vault, discus! As some knob on 6-0-6 used to end every thread they posted...

 

[Brogan]

What are the over the wheel winglets for?

They look stupid.

Edit: Read the article first before asking

As for the over-wheel winglets, their job is to help control the wake coming off the front tyres and direct it away from the rear wing. That’s been a role traditionally performed by vortices from the front wing – but in a way that makes them hugely sensitive when running in following car conditions. The winglets will achieve the same thing, but in a way that is more aerodynamically resilient in close racing.

Image copyright F1

Don't get me started on the front wing.
It's just ridiculous.

Too late! I've fucking started!

 

[Johnny Carwash]

Low rake cars for next season with what is effectively ground effect. I wonder if Aston Martin and Mercedes will have an advantage seeing as they’ve used predominantly used low rake.

 

[MarkP2017]

I do believe that’s the ugliest F1 car I’ve ever seen.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Stronger ground effect will be interesting. I suspect one team, probably RBR or Mercedes, will get it right for the first few races and run away with it Brawn-style until everyone catches up.
Also I thought the MGU-H had been ditched?

 

[cider_and_toast]

Do we know if, alongside the technical changes, there will be any rule changes next season?

 

[Johnny Carwash]

Also I thought the MGU-H had been ditched?

Not 100% sure but I think they are getting ditched for the 2025.

 

[FB]

I do believe that’s the ugliest F1 car I’ve ever seen.

Ahem

 

[FB]

I do love the "designed specifically to promote better racing". Isn't that the point of making a racing car? I once bought some tomatoes which claimed to have been "grown for flavour". Similarly, why else would you produce a food stuff if not for the flavour?

At least, I suppose, it's an admission by those that run F1 that there hasn't been much racing over recent years.

Also, I hope you're all excited to have the bin lids back over the wheels. Gee, I've missed them!

 

[Dartman]

The last team to fully understand ground effect was Williams and I believe Patrick Head was the designer was the designer, so if the drawings are still about they should have the advantage.

 

[Brogan]

Also, I hope you're all excited to have the bin lids back over the wheels. Gee, I've missed them!

How long until they are covered in LEDs for advertising ...

 

[The Artist.....]

How long until they are covered in LEDs for advertising ...

McLaren were testing that a couple of days ago. It's supposedly not so simple, as the LEDs can unbalance the bin-lids, which in turn unbalance the wheels...

Apparently, the binlids had originally been rim-to-rim, but this made it impossible to weight the wheels appropriately, so they needed to have a gap left around the outside...

 

[FB]

Here's the thing in all it's chavy horror - McLaren trials LED wheel cover lights in F1 post-season testing

The night races will be like a Friday evening out in Billericay. I presume some of the drivers will be wearing Burberry racing suits and baseball caps as well.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I do love the "designed specifically to promote better racing". Isn't that the point of making a racing car? I once bought some tomatoes which claimed to have been "grown for flavour". Similarly, why else would you produce a food stuff if not for the flavour?

At least, I suppose, it's an admission by those that run F1 that there hasn't been much racing over recent years.

Also, I hope you're all excited to have the bin lids back over the wheels. Gee, I've missed them!

Way off topic but I avoid pubs that have a sign outside saying "Good Food, Fine Ale". That's what I would expect so why put it on a sign? They wouldn't put "The Food's average and the beers crap" on a sign would they?

Anyway, back on topic......

 

[Brogan]

Here's the thing in all it's chavy horror - McLaren trials LED wheel cover lights in F1 post-season testing

The night races will be like a Friday evening out in Billericay. I presume some of the drivers will be wearing Burberry racing suits and baseball caps as well.

Easy to distinguish the cars during the night races though.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Here's the thing in all it's chavy horror - McLaren trials LED wheel cover lights in F1 post-season testing

The night races will be like a Friday evening out in Billericay. I presume some of the drivers will be wearing Burberry racing suits and baseball caps as well.

Lewis ahead of the curve (it's Burberry apparently).

 

[Brogan]

I read in the article that they tried the cars without the front wings but decided to keep them.

Getting rid of the wings would allow for closer racing and avoid pit stops for damaged wings, punctured tyres, etc.

Or they could have had a wing just half the width of the car.

A missed opportunity.

 

[cider_and_toast]

It's funny that they are talking about the flaps between the wheels as if they're something new and revolutionary.

Gerard Ducourage invented something extremely similar (though not as tall) for the Lotus 97T

The 97T was of a generally simple design, it used elements from the defunct Lotus 96T Indycar project in the aerodynamics with another piece of Lotus design: an early form of bargeboards. These were placed between the front wheels and the side pods improving airflow around the side of the car.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Javelin, pole vault, discus! As some knob on 6-0-6 used to end every thread they posted...

im sorry but 1st time ive heard that. so its really tickled me

F1Brits_90 - there's something been nagging about this with me - as Mercedes and Red Bull have been really pushing themselves hard to try to win the championship... I shouldn't be surprised if Red Bull find themselves lagging a long way behind.

There will almost certainly be a surprise team (McLaren?) - although Mercedes didn't develop as much from 2020-2021, so they may have had some resource working away in the background to develop a good car to hit the ground running.

i would never rule out mercedes for the reason in this hybrid era that you would say ended on Sunday. historical precedents dont apply to mercedes & also they arguably got the best line up on the grid with Hamilton & Russell

but thinking
1998 - Both Williams including reigning world champion was lapped
2005 - Ferrari from domination to nowhere
2009 - Lewis was knocked out of Q1
2014 - Vettel went from 9 consecutive wins to out in Q2

 

[F1Brits_90]

I do believe that’s the ugliest F1 car I’ve ever seen.

depends on how it races. if we can get cars to follow like they have promised the car will look fantastic. it could be the mona lisa but overtaking is useless. it will so turn ugly

But F1 Need this to work. as they stake alot on these cars. sorting out the issues we had for 25 years