A Look at the 2022 Formula 1 Car
The total transformation of the Formula 1 race car promises a riveting season for fans, but the drama doesn't end there.
Written by Clare Behe
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- The ultimate F1 makeover
- The devil’s in the details
- An equal allowance
- “Cadillacs zoom in America”
- Jerry: a pit crew in your pocket
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Whether you watch the Super Bowl for the ads, the snacks, or the actual football, you've heard by now that the Cincinnati Bengals are representing the AFC in this year's matchup: a
triumph
that few saw coming after winning only four games just last year. It's that chance for the underdog to take the crown that draws us to sports competitions, and Formula One is no exception to that. In fact, with the recent unveiling of this year's revolutionary racing vehicle, a shocking new rule, and even steps toward greener racing, the 2022 season promises to be the most dramatic and competitive one yet.
When the 2022 F1 season begins on March 20, millions will be tuning in to witness the debut of not just a visually and mechanically stunning machine, but a
new era of racing
.The ultimate F1 makeover
You know that infuriating feeling when you're playing your gamer friend in Mario Kart, and even though you're barely half a lap behind them, you know you'll never catch up because you're going the same speed?
That's the problem lagging racers have been facing for years. The titillating term “
dirty air
” is used to describe the phenomenon of air that, while so cleanly cut through by the leading vehicle
, is then left disrupted in the racer’s wake, pushing against the following racecar. It reduces downforce by over 30% and almost doubles that lag the closer it gets. FIA and the F1 Motorsports engineers have been working on a racecar that would leave cleaner—and less disturbed—air that won't deter the tailing cars, allowing for closer races with more overtakes.
With about 7,500 test runs of the updated car under their belts, the numbers are promising: an 18% reduction in downforce on a car trailing by 10 meters, but only 4% when trailing within 20 meters.
This increasingly aerodynamic chassis will be coupled with another first in the sport:
18” tires
, up from 13”. The upgrade will enable wheels to get a better grip of the track, so as to round corners at a safer level, but at the same speeds. Heat distribution in the new tires developed by Pirelli will slow down wear and tear, allowing for longer periods between pit stops.Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
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The devil’s in the details
MORE: Which Auto Companies Are Working Toward Sustainability?
Reducing dirty air sounds great, especially in a world distracted by the anxiety caused by climate change, but Formula 1 is taking a different approach to respecting the environment.
The introduction of
E10 fuel
, so named due to ten percent of its makeup being ethanol, will allow for a more sustainable power source for the updated car. FIA regulations also require the ethanol itself to be produced with a negligible carbon footprint.Encouragingly, this is only the interim plan. A net-zero carbon footprint
is the ultimate goal
, and there is no shortage of experts ensuring it happens by 2030. An equal allowance
Pro racing has a bad reputation as a pay-to-play game, with large market teams like Mercedes having the ability to throw money at seemingly any driver or goods that they covet, while Renault or Haas are quite literally left in the dust.
Starting last year, however, a spending cap was introduced as a way to encourage parity. This season the budget per team is being further reduced; allowing teams to spend
no more than $140 million
. If they do, they will be penalized at varying levels of severity depending on the excess spent.2021 was an adjustment year for teams coming to terms with the new financial regulations; 2022 will be the ultimate challenge for all participants to show creative and intellectual dexterity as the underdogs continue to nip at the heels of dynasties.
“Cadillacs zoom in America”
Now if you're someone who has to see to believe—or is just itching for a reason to leave the house at some point in the next eight months—then this is really your year. Unsatisfied with making only a few historical changes for 2022, Formula 1 has announced
a second United States race
for the first time in 48 years. This May, Miami will open its gates to the sport with a 19-turn track circling Hard Rock Stadium, five years in the making, with an estimated max speed of 198mph.
Jerry: a pit crew in your pocket
If you feel a twinge of jealousy every time Lewis Hamilton glides in for a pit stop because you don't have 20+ people at your beck-and-call to help you with all your automotive headaches, why not check out Jerry?
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So why do all that extra work when Jerry can do it better? Beat that, McClaren!
4.7
