The prototype of the new Formula 1 car for the 2022 season has already been presented. The event took place at Silverstone, where this weekend the Great Britain F1 Grand Prix takes place and was attended by all drivers of the grid.
This prototype, even though it is a mere interpretation by the teams of designers of Formula 1 of next season's rules, already allows us to understand what will be next year's single-seaters, which will show considerable changes compared to current F1 cars.
The aerodynamic aspect, for example, was completely revised, with the new single-seater presenting more fluid lines and much less complex front and rear wings. The front “nose” was also transformed, becoming now completely flat.
Added to this are new air intakes in the underbody, which help to create a vacuum that sucks the car onto the asphalt, in what Formula 1 calls the “ground effect”, a technique widely used over the decades of 1970 and 1980.
The objective of this aerodynamic reformulation is to increase the ease of overtaking on the track, by decreasing the disturbance of the air flow between two cars when they are close to each other.
In this sense, the DRS system will remain on the rear wing, which opens up in the areas defined for this, allowing for a gain in speed and facilitating overtaking.
New tires and 18" rims
The more aggressive exterior look is also due to the new Pirelli P Zero F1 tires and the 18-inch wheels, which will be covered, as in 2009.
The tires feature an entirely new compound and have seen the sidewall shrink considerably, now taking on a profile that is closer to what we find in a low-profile road tyre. Also noteworthy are the small wings that appear over the tires.
Also in the safety chapter there are news to register, as the 2022 cars saw their capacity to absorb impacts rise 48% at the front and 15% at the rear.
And the engines?
As for the engines (V6 1.6 turbo hybrids), there are no technical changes to be registered, although the FIA will impose the use of a new gasoline made up of 10% bio-components, which will be achieved with the use of Ethanol.
