FIA expecting new regulations to halve performance gap between F1 teams at the top and the bottom of the grid in 2022

Nikolas Tombazis, the head of Single Seater Technical Matters at the FIA, expects the 2022 F1 regulations to “halve” the performance gap between the best and the worst teams among the grid. Speaking in a post-season interview with the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com, Tombazis said:

“I think the gap between the best and worst team is currently (in 2021) around three seconds, depending on the track. I hope that after a year we may see a halving in this. We’ll have to wait and see.”

The new sweeping aerodynamic regulations that come into force this year are expected to produce cars that are nearly six seconds slower (at the start of the season) than last generations. The cars utilize “ground-effect” to generate downforce and are therefore expected to generate less aerodynamic “wake” that prevents other cars from following closely behind.

F1 is hoping that this increases organic racing opportunities going forward, thereby fixing one of the biggest gripes with the sport in recent years – boring races.

Tombazis believes that the 'air-tight' regulations crafted by F1’s technical department in close co-operation with the FIA leave little room for any single team to gain a huge performance advantage.

Furthermore, the budget cap that came into force last season further hampers the ability of top teams with vast resources to undertake intensive development programs throughout the season, thereby leveling the playing field.

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Tombazis does not expect F1 to be more exciting in 2022 compared to last season

Nikolas Tombazis feels it’s unfair to expect the upcoming season of F1 to be more exciting than last season. 2021 saw Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battle toe-to-toe across the season, up until the very last race for the championship.

Speaking in the same post-season interview, Tombazis said:

“It’s hard to expect it to be more exciting than 2021, that year set the bar high. I think the more it comes together, the more cars will get involved. I think that’s very positive. The fact that drivers may now be able to follow others for a longer period of time.”

The 2021 season was one of the most closely fought championship battles in the sport’s seven-decade-long history. While Mercedes and Red Bull faced off for the championship title, teams in midfield and lower battled for a better position in the constructors' championship. Furthermore, the season produced six winners from four different teams, while nine more drivers from took finished at least one race on the podium.