Overview
Back in 2019 F1 sat down and developed a set of new regulations that would completely overhaul the cars’ aerodynamic design. Originally set to debut in 2021 but pushed back a year due to the pandemic, these new rules were meant to solve the last generation’s dirty air problem which made it difficult for the cars to follow each other. The simplified aero design is meant to make racing closer and overtaking easier. After a thrilling 2021 season that ended in Red Bull’s Max Verstappen winning the World Championship and Mercedes taking an unprecedented 8th Constructors Championship in a row, the brand new 2022 cars have been revealed by all teams and the first preseason test session just ended. So, what can we learn from the first test? Have the new cars served their purpose?
Top Guns Still on Top?
With Mercedes and Red Bull sharing a titanic championship battle in 2021, finding the right balance between their fight and the development work of the 2022 cars was expected to be a massive challenge; especially when finishing in the top means that they are working with restricted aerodynamic testing compared to teams that finished lower down. However, when the first week of preseason testing was done, the order read Mercedes 1st and 2nd, Red bull right behind them in 3rd and 4th. While the fastest overall lap times were set by Mercedes’ British pairing of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, both were running the softest tyre compound known as the C5, and reigning world champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez set their fastest lap times on the C3 and C4 tyres respectively, which means they were only 0.6th of a second behind on slower tyres. Meaning the full pace of the Red Bull is still to be seen. However, these times are still misleading, maybe George Russell’s claim that Mercedes are behind McLaren and Ferrari could still be the better read. However, Mercedes always downplays their performance in preseason testing, what is apparent though is Ferrari’s progress is real and a potential comeback is certainly realistic.
Where is Ferrari?
At the end of the first 3 days of testing, there is a general consensus among Ferrari’s rivals that they are the team to beat in 2022, praising the work put into the car from a design and aero point of view and massively upping the power of their engine. Ferrari has benefited from extra aero testing in the first half of 2021, after finishing 6th in 2020, and earned more aero and CFD testing time – relative to Red Bull and Mercedes- after finishing 3rd in 2021. While they acknowledge this and are optimistic with their progress, the Maranello team is cleverly downplaying the expectations, with team principal Mattia Binotto saying that everyone else would bring big updates to the second test in Bahrain. However, Ferrari are pleased with the performance so far, as the car is operating as expected, no issues were detected and they did get the most number of laps done out of any team.
“Raceability” and Closer Following
In terms of following and closer racing, which was the original aim of these cars, it is still early to tell from the first 3 days of testing it; however, it looks like it is in the right direction. Drivers such as Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon all said that the cars are easier to follow and dirty air is not as prevalent, suggesting that the new cars are good for closer racing. Sainz’s Ferrari teammate Charles LeCerc has said that “from 3 seconds to 1 you can follow closer” but between 5 tenths and a second “it is similar to last year” and from 5 tenths and extremely close it feels “much better” than last year. On top of drivers’ testimonies, images taken from the wet running on the Friday afternoon provided some interesting clues. According to Glenn Freeman from The Race, the shape of the spray and vortices are decently similar to what the FiA wanted to achieve with the regulations in terms of manipulating the air to create a kinder wake. While all of this shows positive indications for closer racing, the real answer will come once the season actually starts.
What to expect as the season is ever closer
With the exception of a few teams who have run into some reliability issues, most teams have had a clear grasp on the behaviour of their cars from data gathering. What remains to be seen now is what upgrades will be brought into the second preseason test in Bahrain next week and whether Ferrari and McLaren emerge as the new front runners or will Red Bull and Mercedes extend their domination. A more clear picture will emerge after the Bahrain testing, but even then, it won’t be definitive until the first couple of races.
Hisham Hilal | Staff Writer