F1 TWENTY 22 EXPLAINED
WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THE PINNACLE OF MOTORSPORT NEXT YEAR
MUCH LIKE the ‘2020’ Tokyo Olympics, Formula 1’s ‘2021’ revamp has been somewhat delayed by a particularly irksome global pandemic. But next year, the sport will undergo what Red Bull technical boss Adrian Newey has called some of the biggest regulatory changes since the elimination of ground-effect cars in 1983.
Key to these new changes? Say hello to the 2022 F1 car, complete with ground effects! On top of this, there are rule changes separate to the car’s actual design, as well some speculation surrounding teams and drivers for 2022. But let’s dive right in to the big one, shall we?
THE CAR
The redesigned 2022 F1 car was first previewed in renders and scale-model form in 2019, but in July 2021, F1 finally revealed its full-sized, apparently near-final design of the machine we’ll see on the grid in 2022.
The changes are many, and fundamentally designed to improve racing by reducing reliance on traditional downforce, which has made on-track passing difficult in recent years. The answer, devised by F1 and the FIA, is a return to ground effects, which utilise underbody tunnels to draw airflow through intakes, lowering the air pressure under the car.
Despite ground effect aero greatly increasing cornering speeds, in the 1970s this is said to have made it difficult for drivers to closely follow a car in front, with the ‘dirty air’ damaging the performance benefits in much the same way current cars experience at medium following distances (ie, two car lengths). F1 says this new car doesn’t suffer the same impact, as the aerodynamics are less wake-sensitive, as well as producing less wake for following cars. All without relying on ‘skirts’ to keep the car’s downforce consistent.
The FIA says cars following each other at a 10m distance in
2021 can lose 46 percent of their downforce or even 35 percent at 20m. The 2022 cars lose only 18 percent of their downforce at 10m, and a miniscule four percent at 20m.
Where cars are currently covered in vanes and panels to direct messy airflow and create as much downforce as possible, the 2022 design aims to simplify and restrict the amount of advantage teams can draw from aerodynamic tweaks.
Starting from the front, the front wing is already an obvious example of simplification. The current, rather complex wing deflects a lot of air to the sides of the car, and is part of the reason cars currently leave a dirty wake.
Partially due to front impact testing, and partially due to the new aero philosophy, the wing is now a four-element piece that continues into the endplates, with small vanes on the outside of the plate, leaving limited wiggle room for teams to adjust and
Underbody tunnels draw airflow through intakes, lowering the air pressure under the car
alter the effectiveness of the wing. F1’s engineers reportedly even considered a car with no front wing at all, but the idea was abandoned.
On the wheels, the covers banned a decade ago have returned, though in very basic fashion. Perhaps better referred to as shrouds, the flat panel aims to reduce drag and improve airflow around the car, resulting in cleaner air for any following cars. Behind these covers, too, are larger wheels, now 18 inches instead of 13 inches, with low-profile tyres intended to further clean up the wake by reducing the sidewall deflection and tyre distortion. The wheels, being larger, will obviously be heavier and increase the car’s unsprung weight, but with every car running on the same wheels, there’s no room to complain. The smaller sidewall will dramatically increase the focus on suspension travel, too, with the tyres absorbing less of any bumps.
New tyre compounds by Pirelli are also designed to stop tyres overheating from small slides, allowing drivers to push a little harder and, again, hopefully improve racing.
On top, small winglets or fairings reduce the wake directed at the rear wing in the same way the 2021 front wing does, but without being as impacted by wake from cars in front. Effectively, less wake produced for cars following, while being easier to follow cars in front. This is one section of the car teams may be able to make miniscule changes to gain small advantages.
Another area potentially ripe for tweaking is the small array of fins inboard from the wheels where the brakes live, including turning vanes that, like the rest of the wheels’ peripherals, direct air back to the openings of the underbody aero tunnels. These tunnels, as mentioned, move around the cockpit and increase the flow of air by restricting the volume of tunnel available, creating low pressure and forcing the car to ‘hug’ the track a little tighter. Again, this removes the incredibly complicated collection of aero panels known as bargeboards, which are one of the more intricate and unique parts of each current car.
Up above, the lifesaving halo is still present, the initial complaints about its aesthetics no longer heard after numerous close call incidents, most famously Romain Grosjean’s fiery Bahrain accident in 2020. In fact, the safety regulations for the new car also mean a stronger side chassis to protect from side impacts, and a longer nose that F1 says absorbs 48 percent more impact energy in a front-on collision. The car’s overall mass has been impacted by these changes, with minimum weight rising from 752kg to 790kg.
Further back, the rear wing is an obvious change from the 2021 car, where traditional endplates are replaced by a downward curvature continuing from the horizontal wing elements. These rolled-down sides finish low, connected to another horizontal element which meets the exhaust in the centre-rear of the car. This new wing is a continuation of the efforts to remove dirty air from behind the car but also, some fans will be pleased to hear, signals the impending end of the Drag Reduction System (DRS).
There’s currently no mechanism on the F1 2022 car for DRS, but F1 says it will remain a part of the sport another season. The thinking behind this is supposedly to ensure there’s still opportunity to pass if the new cars turn out still difficult to follow, and team bosses are behind the idea. McLaren boss Zak Brown told Motorsport.com he thinks, “keeping DRS initially is a good idea … let’s get these race cars on the track and figure out: Has it worked exactly as prescribed?”
Wheels are now 18 inches with low-profile tyres intended to further clean up the wake
If what’s under that rear wing does work as intended, DRS may become irrelevant
But if what’s under that rear wing does work as intended, DRS may become irrelevant. The exits for the tunnels, which look almost like enormous diffusers, are intended to produce minimal wake.
While the car’s design is, on paper, very regulated, even F1 won’t be surprised when teams begin testing with design changes that push the rules’ wording to the limits.
It’s perhaps the most significant (and for many, promising) change F1 has made for a long time, but one thing that’s set to remain almost identical is also ‘under’ the car: its engine. The hybrid 1.6-litre turbo V6 with MGU hybrid system and eightspeed gearbox continues, with the current units generating peaks above 746kW (1000hp).
FUEL AND RULES
There will be one small change to how engines achieve that power though, as F1 will mandate teams use sustainable (“second generation”) E10 fuel as an interim step towards a carbon-neutral fuel source for F1 in the future. Currently, cars are only required to run 5.75 percent biofuel. E10 being almost double that.
With new cars comes a new system of regulating their construction and use. The fuel system through which that E10 flows is to be one of the main parts standardised across the grid. This was known in 2019 when gearboxes were also flagged as a potential for standardisation, but that has since changed, and teams will continue with their own.
The budget restrictions for teams also tighten in 2022, with the US$145 million cost cap to reduce by $5 million for 2022. Teams that don’t perform to the standards of others will also be allowed concessions to find improvements, though don’t expect to see this playing out heavily for a couple of years.
THE GRID
While the entire 2022 driver line-up hasn’t been confirmed as this issue of Wheels goes to print, about half the grid is already locked in for next year. Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Haas, and Alpine’s 2021 drivers will carry over to 2022, while Sebastian Vettel is set to stay at Aston Martin and Lance Stroll is likely to join him.
Hamilton so far has no confirmed teammate at Mercedes for 2022, with Valtteri Bottas rumoured to be replaced by current Williams driver George Russell.
Red Bull’s ‘little sibling’ team Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda aren’t confirmed to carry through to 2022, though team boss Franz Tost has publicly said he sees the pair as the best option next year.
Neither driver at Williams, however, is as sure. Surrounding the Russell/Mercedes rumours, Williams may need a replacement. A swap for Bottas has been rumoured, though even Nico Hulkenberg’s name has been thrown around.
Similarly, Alfa Romeo’s pairing remains a mystery, with
Kimi Raikkonen to be 42 years old in 2022. The Finn (on just two points) has barely managed to barely stay ahead of his teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi (one point) in the 2021 season after the bizarre, two lap Belgian GP.
Of course, as you read this, some of these questions may already have been answered.