F1 Changes Of 2022

In 2022, Formula 1, the pinnacle of automotive technology and innovation, has evolved by leaps and bounds. Starting this year, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) has thoroughly reworked the rules and regulations for more competitive racing. So, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at everything new in Formula 1 in a two-part series. First, we’ll look at the changes to the FIA’s car regulations. Here are the 8 upgrades made to the new Formula One cars for 2022.

1 F1 Design: To boost competitive racing

The F1 design is by far the most noticeable difference in the new 2022 F1 cars. This design was supposed to debut in the 2021 season, but kudos to the COVID-19 global pandemic, it was delayed by a year. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

The answer is simple: the new F1 design encourages closer and more competitive racing. It was much more difficult to keep up with the cars from recent years. The car following will lose only 4% of its downforce with this new F1 design, compared to 35% when following 20 meters behind the car.

Mercedes, driven by Lewis Hamilton, finished quickest — along with Red Bull — in February during testing of the revamped cars at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.Credit…Albert Gea/Reuters

2 Wheel Covers and Over-Wheel Winglets

Starting this year, F1 cars will have small winglets over the wheels, as explained above. The wheel covers are also being returned to the cars. What about wheel covers? Yes, wheel covers were included in the F1 car package in 2009.

The wheel covers exist to simply direct the airflow over the wheels. The former, on the other hand, is to direct the wake* from the front wheels away from the front wings.

3 Simpler Front Wing

One of the most important components for generating downforce is the front wing. This allows an F1 car to take corners at speeds of up to 250kmph (depending upon the corner, of course).

However, it was one of the more complexly designed components in earlier iterations. Even so, with the arrival of 2021, these front wings are more straightforward this time around. This simple front wing also meant less wake, which aided in more competitive racing.

4 The Ground Effect has returned.

F1 cars were designed in the late 1970s to resemble upside-down airplane wings. This was done to create a low-pressure zone beneath the vehicle. Whereas the side skirts are no longer supported on the 2022 generation of F1 cars, the car’s belly (barrage board) is an important component in generating downforce. The downforce generated by the vehicle’s underbelly also produces less wake.

5 Rims with larger diameters and low-profile tires

Don’t we all prefer low-profile tyres? These do look amazing, but if you weren’t aware, they have a negative impact on ride quality. Having said that, F1 cars have been running 13-inch rims for a long time. With the rim taking up the majority of the space under the wheel arch and thin tyre walls.

But this time, they’ve gone with much larger 18-inch wheel rims. The sole reason for switching to 18-inch wheels is to reduce tyre overheating when sliding. This also reduces the aerodynamic effects of tyre sidewall deflection.

6 Even Safer Cars

When designing F1 cars, safety is of the utmost importance.  F1 Design cars generate significant G-forces at these speeds. It is therefore a physically demanding sport for the driver. Not only that, but a high-speed collision could be fatal.

So, in order to make racing even safer, the new 2022 cars can now absorb 48% more energy in front and rear impact tests. Following recent severe accidents, the FIA has taken significant steps to make cars safer for drivers.

7 F1 cars will use a more environmentally friendly fuel.

In case you didn’t know, F1 2021 cars ran on sustainable fuel containing 5.75% bio-components. In 2022, the engines in next-generation cars will run on 10% bio-component. That is, the 2022 F1 cars will run on E10 fuel.

Where E denotes ethanol and 10 denotes the ethanol percentage in the fuel. Furthermore, the FIA intends to run F1 cars on E100 by 2025.

8 Cars have been through over 7,500 simulations.

As previously stated, Formula One is the most technologically advanced sport on the planet. Before producing a vehicle, engineers at the respective factories run over 7,500 simulations to fine-tune the vehicle. Aerodynamics, powertrain, drivetrain, MGU-K, MGU-H, and other topics are covered. The information gathered is equivalent to more than one-third of the 10 billion photographs on Facebook.