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F1's Head of Technology Pat Symonds claims that the negative effects seen in the 2022 F1 cars are "desirable" as they enable closer racing. The newly designed rear wing is now less efficient than in 2021 cars, which is expected to keep cars closer.
F1 has always been at the very forefront of innovative technology, whether it be the DRS system or the hybrid energy restoration system which feeds energy back to the batteries upon braking. The sport is, however, set to enter a new era in 2022, with the introduction of a brand new version of the car, one which cuts out 'dirty air' by a drastic amount.
The shape of the new tail will be different from the outgoing generation of cars. The new wing profiles lack traditional endplates on either side, reducing the efficiency of the entire rear wing.
Symonds claims this loss in efficiency is desirable as it changes the direction of airflow behind cars, enabling closer racing. He said:
“At the outer edge, there are two strong wake vortices, with which the flow is sucked up from the lower rear area. With this upward movement, clean air from outside can move up to the point of turbulence, from which the following cars then benefit.”
Despite the 2022 cars showing promising changes, former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has claimed that they feel "roughly the same" on the simulator. The Finn told Motorsport.com:
“At least at the time, it seemed like the cars were a bit out of whack. Normal in terms of downforce. But the overall feeling, at least from the sim, wasn’t that different. We can’t simulate other cars chasing on the track and things like that, but it’s not much different. Maybe they have a little less downforce, but like I said, that will change.”
Only time will tell whether the former Mercedes driver's initial perception holds.
2022 F1 cars will feature similar DRS dimensions despite new wing design
The cars for the upcoming season will feature a DRS flap that is part of the main rear wing, which now has new dimensions. The upper area of the wing is now set to be 123 centimeters, eight centimeters wider than before. The new edge of the wing also protrudes 91 cm into the air, compared to the 87 cm from 2021.
The DRS system will broadly remain the same, with an 85 millimeter gap being the standard for new cars. The difference, however, lies within the expectations teams have from the mechanism. As per Auto Motor und Sport, the sport's bosses hope the new airflow designs will eliminate the need for the deployment of DRS.
The new minimum weight is one of the many changes being incorporated into the 2022 car. The next generation of cars are set to be the heaviest cars ever in the sport, with the minimum weight now being raised to 795 kgs without fuel. For comparison, 2021 cars were more than 40 kgs lighter in weight.
It is still unclear whether the new cars will behave dramatically differently from the 2021 cars, with teams hoping their drivers can take maximum advantage of the new regulation changes.
