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1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill is interested in seeing how Ferrari and Williams perform in 2022. All teams have brought significantly different car designs this year following the various regulatory changes set by the FIA.
Hill is certain that due to the new regulation changes, all teams would have tried something new and different in their cars. The Briton is particularly interested in the Italian team's sidepod design, claiming it is significantly different from other teams'. He said of the Scuderia:
“The side pods and the bodywork are so unique, it’s phenomenal. But I’ve heard one very experienced car designer, from a while ago, look at a Ferrari and go, ‘Hmm, that looks like it was designed by committee’. The front end looks like it was going one way, and the back end looks like it was going somewhere else. So nobody really knows what’s going to work in the new regs, but there’s such a difference [across the teams].”
Having raced for Williams for a large part of his career, the former world champion is curious to see how the team has designed their 2022 car. Hill called the design 'radical', highlighting that the British team had switched its focus to the new car in mid-2021. He also compared Williams to the Italian Scuderia, hinting that both teams have solved their problems from last year. He said:
“The Williams is incredibly radical. It’s phenomenal, the packaging on that thing. Ferrari have had their... Their prancing horse was hobbled a bit when they had their problem with their power unit, and they were clipped back, and they’ve been in reset mode, as have Williams. So they’ve basically given up [2021]. Last year was like a wasted year, and they’ve been able to maybe devote more of these resources on the 2022 car. That’s maybe why they’re interesting.”
Fans react to Ferrari's sidepod design
The Maranello-based team's 2022 challenger, the F1-75, has captured the hearts of fans. Due to the unusual side-pod design on the new car, however, some fans have lightly mocked the team ahead of the new season.
While the overall car design received positive reviews from fans, some were confused about the radical new side-pod design. Many Twitter users had a laugh off the design, with one user claiming the depth of the new side-pods would be enough for a baby to bathe in:
“#F1: a baby could take a bath in those sidepods. The #Ferrari F1-75 has some really interesting features.”
Another user hilariously pointed out that the new side-pods may fill up with water during a wet race or pitstop. They tweeted:
“They better have fast pit stops in the rain, or they could end up with swimming pools forming in the sidepods…”
While it is unclear exactly how Ferrari will get on in the new season, fans are hoping to see the Prancing Horse back on the top steps of the podium in the coming months.
