Fans of Formula 1 were treated to a first look at the 2022 season car on Thursday, July 15, ahead of the British Grand Prix. As you can see above and below, the car has undergone a significant overhaul in design, owing to a long list of regulation changes for the coming season and beyond.
A specially commissioned design was unveiled at the Silverstone Circuit in front of the current crop of Formula 1 drivers, and has since then received a mixed, but mostly positive response from the motorsport’s pros and fans alike.
Perhaps the most obvious talking point is that sizeable front wing, complete with integrated endplates. Said front wing is attached to a much flatter nose and the front wheels now sit under aero-covers, while all four wheels don some funky flat rims.
Heading to the back of the machine, one can’t help but notice, and admire that striking rear wing. A completely new design sees more curves, and is hopefully as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing. Take a look at the side by side comparison of the 2022 car and this season’s machines below:
Through the implementation of new regulations, F1 hopes to make racing more spectacular on track, while also hoping to inspire some more overtaking action.
“We want to make it more possible for cars to race each and follow each other and to have more exciting battles,” said senior FIA engineer Nikolas Tombazis, before adding that “We want to have tyres that enable people to fight each other without degrading or only giving a short interval for the person attacking to attack.”
The new machine is also said to be simpler than the current car, through the removal of several small components, and a dramatically increased focus on ground effect, meaning that drivers can spend less time relying on drafting behind their opponents to maintain speed.
It is likely that the actual cars that we’ll see in 2022 may differ from this model, as each F1 team will be looking to exploit the new regulations by moulding their designs around optimised performance for the best possible competitive edge.
The new car was originally intended for introduction at the beginning of the 2021 season, but its arrival was delayed until the coming year as a result of cost-saving measures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Featured image courtesy of @F1 on Twitter