2022 Formula 1 Thread

[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ev...-more/6868204/


Everything we know about the 2022 Formula 1 season: drivers, cars, tracks & more
Dec 9, 2021, 3:12 PM
The 2022 Formula 1 season is almost upon us, but how much do you know about it? Find out all you need to know about the calendar, cars and more here.

Once the 2021 Formula 1 season draws to a close, attention will immediately turn to preparations for 2022’s all-new rules.

F1 will receive one of its biggest technical overhauls for next season, with a seismic shift in the aerodynamic regulations, which should act as a soft reset for all of the teams in the championship.

The new regulations have been paired with a number of changes to the driver line-ups following a busy transfer market, with one rookie and one returnee making their way onto 2022’s grid.

There’s further changes afoot too, with a brand-new race on next year’s calendar and the expected return of some old favourites that were cut from the schedule amid the COVID-affected timetables in 2020 and 2021.

Here’s everything we know about 2022’s F1 season so far.

Formula 1 2022 driver line-up
Team

Driver 1

Driver 2

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton

George Russell

Red Bull

Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

McLaren

Lando Norris

Daniel Ricciardo

Alpine

Fernando Alonso

Esteban Ocon

Alpha Tauri

Pierre Gasly

Yuki Tsunoda

Williams

Nicholas Latifi

Alex Albon

Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel

Lance Stroll

Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas

Guanyu Zhou

Haas

Mick Schumacher

Nikita Mazepin

There have been a number of high-profile changes to next season’s driver line-up, as Mercedes has changed its drivers for the first time since Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement from F1 at the end of 2016.

Lewis Hamilton remains at the team, but will be partnered with George Russell for 2022 as Mercedes saw fit to promote the British driver from Williams after an impressive three years with the Grove squad.


Valtteri Bottas will hence leave the team, moving to Alfa Romeo in place of countryman Kimi Raikkonen – who retires from F1 20 years after making his debut with the team under its previous Sauber guise.

Raikkonen’s team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi will also depart and moves to the Dragon Penske Autosport team in Formula E to partner Sergio Sette Camara.

Guanyu Zhou steps up from Formula 2 to replace Giovinazzi to become the first Chinese driver to make his full grand prix debut. He will race with the number 24.

In Russell’s place at Williams, former Red Bull driver Alexander Albon moves to the squad after a year on the sidelines, linking up with former DAMS F2 team-mate Nicholas Latifi.

Elsewhere on the grid, the line-ups remain the same, with Sergio Perez earning a contract extension with Red Bull to continue to partner Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr continue at Ferrari, as Lando Norris signed a long-term contract extension to remain at McLaren with Daniel Ricciardo.

Fernando Alonso triggered an option in his contract to remain with Alpine, as the team also extended Esteban Ocon’s stay at the team. Oscar Piastri will join as the team’s official reserve following his successful maiden F2 campaign.

Pierre Gasly remains at AlphaTauri alongside Yuki Tsunoda, who admitted he was surprised to be retained by the team, as Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll continue at Aston Martin for a second season together.

Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin remain at Haas following the team’s point-less season in 2021.

2022 Formula 1 car launch dates

No teams have confirmed when they’ll be launching their cars yet, however with pre-season testing starting on 23-25 February they’ll need to be launched before that. As a rough guide, in 2021 McLaren was the first team to unveil its new car on 15 February with AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo following suit on the 19 and 22 February respectively.

Ferrari was the last team to launch its 2021 car, and did so just two days before pre-season testing started (launching on 10 March before testing on the 12th).

2022 Formula 1 car – stats, design and speed
The largest difference to the 2022 F1 aerodynamics package is the return to a ground-effect formula. Ground-effect underbody tunnels have not been permitted in Formula 1 since 1982, but the calls for their reintroduction have become rather loud in recent years.

F1 has sought to reduce the current reliance on wings for downforce, which have been blamed for the "dirty air" that has made close-quarters racing difficult in modern times, which meant the idea of a return to ground effects was more attractive to the rulemakers.

By creating a very pronounced entry at the front of the floor, the air moves through two Venturi tunnels. As the air flows under the car, it's squeezed through the point closest to the ground, developing an extreme low-pressure area, creating a large amount of suction underneath. This means the floor is relied on more for downforce, and reduces the wake produced by various bodywork components.


Unlike the old-school ground effects, the car won't have sliding skirts, and instead has a range of fins underneath to minimise any disturbance. To make sure each team uses the floor as it should, a standard tea-tray will be developed to attach to the front of the floor.

The tyres will change, as F1 moves to an 18-inch rim for 2022.

There's a lot of change to the amount of bodywork for the next era of F1 cars. In 2022, the massively complex bargeboards will be completely removed. In their place comes a new breed of "wheel bodywork", which intends to minimise the effects of the wake produced by the wheels as they rotate. Wheel covers return, and the front wheels now have a deflector over the top to assist with this.

For the time being, DRS remains, but this can be revisited if the new cars produce the desired on-track product.

Numbers look good so far, and F1 and the FIA have noticed that, when one car length behind another competitor, the following car now has around 86% of its usual downforce, compared to the 55% it currently experiences.

To help limit the R&D costs, gearboxes will be frozen from 2022 to the end of 2025. In that time, there can only be one upgrade to the gearbox specification.

Suspension regulations now only permit springs and dampers, meaning that using solely torsion bars will no longer be allowed. The heave springs, or inerters, will also be banned to simplify the suspension systems. Suspension uprights must now be solely included within the wheel assembly, meaning no external mounting points may be permitted.


The front wing has been redefined, and can now be made up of a maximum of four elements overall. Most crucially, the endplates now look very different, and are produced with a smooth blend from the front wing elements to a single-piece endplate, upturned like an aeroplane's wing. The nose also attaches directly to the wing, much like it used to before the middle of the 1990s.

The rear wing has been redesigned too, and can almost be described as endplate-less. Instead, it loops around into a beam-wing mounting, aiming to slash the strength of the vortices produced at the rear of the car - which is blamed for cars being unable to follow each other.

Drivers expect the 2022 cars to be more “on edge” as a result, while the offset between 2021 and 2022 laptimes is anticipated to be smaller than initially expected.

2022 Formula 1 calendar
Date

Grand Prix

Venue

20 March

Bahrain

Sakhir

27 March

Saudi Arabia

Jeddah

10 April

Australia

Albert Park

24 April

Emilia Romagna

Imola

8 May

Miami

Miami Gardens

22 May

Spain

Barcelona

29 May

Monaco

Monte-Carlo

12 June

Azerbaijan

Baku

19 June

Canada

Montreal

3 July

Britain

Silverstone

10 July

Austria

Red Bull Ring

24 July

France

Paul Ricard

31 July

Hungary

Hungaroring

28 August

Belgium

Spa-Francorchamps

4 September

Netherlands

Zandvoort

11 September

Italy

Monza

25 September

Russia

Sochi

2 October

Singapore

Marina Bay

9 October

Japan

Suzuka

23 October

United States

Circuit of the Americas

30 October

Mexico City

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

13 November

Sao Paulo

Interlagos

20 November

Abu Dhabi

Yas Marina

Formula 1 will host its largest-ever calendar in 2022, with 23 races scheduled for next year.

The first-ever Miami Grand Prix will take place at the start of May, on a 3.36-mile street circuit around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

There are also provisional returns for the Australian, Canadian, Singapore and Japanese grands prix, following their cancellation from the previous two seasons owing to the effects of COVID-related travel restrictions.

Although Albert Park returns to the calendar, the Bahrain Grand Prix will take the Melbourne circuit’s usual slot as the first race of the season, with a week’s gap to the second round on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit before Australia’s return.


Imola hosts the first European race of the season, retaining the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix title, before the first race in Miami – one of two contests in the USA.

The European season will then begin, pausing for races in Azerbaijan and Canada, before the final set of flyaways begin in September, starting in Russia prior to the first events in Singapore and Japan since 2019.

The season will close out in Abu Dhabi at the end of November, following F1’s desire to compress the calendar into a shorter timeframe.

China was not listed on the 2022 calendar despite holding a contract to do so, while Qatar will skip 2022 ahead of its hosting of the FIFA World Cup in the winter.

When is pre-season testing?

Pre-season testing is expected to take place at two venues, with the first three days being run at the Barcelona circuit from the 23-25 February, with Bahrain hosting the second block of running from the 11-13 March ahead of the grand prix. This will be the first opportunity to see the 2022 cars in action, although teams will naturally keep their cards close to their chest.

2022 Formula 1 rule changes
In addition to the technical regulations, F1 is introducing a number of changes to the windtunnel and CFD testing structure that cuts the amount of testing allowed depending on a team’s championship placing in 2021.

The base figures supplied allow a team within one aerodynamic testing period (ATP, of which there are six in a season) 320 windtunnel runs, 80 hours of wind-on time (defined as when the air moves more than 15m/s), with teams allowed to spend a total of 400 hours within the windtunnel.

The percentage values apply depending on where each team finishes. Finishing first in the constructors’ standings rewards a team a multiplier of 70%, meaning a team’s time in the windtunnel is handicapped, and finishing 10th comes with a 115% multiplier, meaning they get more time available. CFD terms work on the same basis.

There are also more sprint races expected for the 2022 season, with F1 planning to expand to six races from the three in 2021. Bahrain, Imola, Montreal, Red Bull Ring, Zandvoort and Interlagos are expected to be the nominated venues.

Furthermore, the cost cap is expected to drop in 2022 to $140m for the year, down from the $145m allowed in 2021.

[DLSTR]

Aston Martin has become the first Formula 1 team to formally announce its launch plans for its new car ahead of the 2022 season.

Luke Smith
Jan 14, 2022, 3:54 AM

In an email sent to fans on Friday morning, Aston Martin confirmed that the AMR22 car will be unveiled on 10 February from the manufacturer’s headquarters in Gaydon.

It marks a first date in the diary for F1 launch season in 2022, when all 10 teams will unveil significantly revised designs under the overhauled technical regulations for the upcoming campaign.

Ferrari has set a loose plan of launching its car around 16-18 February, but is yet to announce an exact date.

Pre-season testing begins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on 23 February. Teams will get six days of pre-season running before the opening round of the season takes place in Bahrain on 20 March.

[DLSTR]

Will F1’s 2022 rules revolution work? Our verdict-
https://the-race.com/formula-1/will-...k-our-verdict/

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by DLSTR

Will F1’s 2022 rules revolution work? Our verdict-
https://the-race.com/formula-1/will-...k-our-verdict/

Only 50 days to first quali. Then we'll have a much better idea.

In the mean time, brace yourself for a sh!t-ton of articles just like this one, which can know nothing but have one or two minor points to them, caked in speculation.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Only 50 days to first quali. Then we'll have a much better idea.

In the mean time, brace yourself for a sh!t-ton of articles just like this one, which can know nothing but have one or two minor points to them, caked in speculation.

Yes Im the sucker for this lol. We wait for testing but need our F1. My new BMW is delayed so what to do lol

[DLSTR]

Alonso makes a good point about the tires for next year. He is the 'old man' now lol. So skilled. Still the best in the series. Not Max by any means to me.


Alonso: Oldest driver tag now gives me an advantage in F1
By:
Adam Cooper
Jan 16, 2022, 3:57 AM
Alpine Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso insists he sees his age and experience as an advantage.

The Spaniard turned 40 last July, and with his contemporary Kimi Raikkonen now retired he is the oldest driver on this year’s grid, ahead of 37-year-old Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso made his Grand Prix debut with Minardi in 2001. He missed the 2002 season while serving as Renault test driver and took a break from F1 after his final season with McLaren in 2018, before returning with Alpine last year.

He cited the knowledge of low-profile racing tyres gained in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota in 2019 and 2020 as a specific example of the benefits of his extended career.

“On the age, I feel good, honestly I feel an advantage,” he said when asked by Autosport about his new position as F1’s senior driver.

“When I come to a circuit, I know the circuits. Now everyone is testing this 18-inch tyre, and I know very well these tyres from the WEC.

“There is exactly the same behaviour on the tyres, and the same way you have to drive the tyre, which is very different. So all the things that I am facing, for other people are live for the first time, and for me it's a second or third time. So this is good.”


Alonso acknowledged that to continue to race at the top level requires some sacrifices, especially with the busy calendar of the current era. The 2022 season, his 18th as an F1 race driver, will see a record 23 events held.

“The only problem to be older is that you have to have the motivation to go into a season that you will be 300 days per year away,” he said. “You have to have that desire, you have to have that lifestyle that allows you to dedicate yourself to this sport.
Read Also:


“Apart from that, all the other things are advantages. So because I'm in a moment in life that I want to dedicate my moment in time to F1, it’s fantastic. I think I only see advantages.

“And then, physically, I think the cars of today are not very demanding. I think 2004-5, maybe the age was a limitation.”

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/al...in-f1/7310539/

[danegrey]

Let the fun begin and hopefully have as close as season as last year with a couple of other teams....

[DLSTR]

Mclaren boss with good concise view here.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ab...brown/7360442/

Abu Dhabi 'pantomime' proves F1 and FIA needs reform - Brown
By: Jonathan Noble
Jan 17, 2022, 8:44 AM
McLaren CEO Zak Brown urges Formula 1 chiefs and the FIA to be stronger in moving control away from teams, as fallout from last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix continues.


F1 and its governing body have found themselves on the receiving end of a wave of criticism for the way in which the 2021 season ended in controversy after the way a late-race safety car restart was handled at the final race.

While an FIA investigation into the events of Abu Dhabi and questions over F1's decision-making process is ongoing, Brown says the lessons of 2021 show that change is needed.

He says that the arrival of new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem offers a great opportunity for a much-needed new approach that could avoid the kind of 'pantomime audition' scenes that F1 descended in to last season.

Writing on McLaren's website, Brown said: "It is clear that some of the rules and their governance are not acceptable as things stand. No one is happy with the inconsistency in the policing of the regulations, but which has been habitually exploited by teams for competitive advantage.

"I have said before that the teams have too much power and it needs to be reduced. We have a significant role in the drafting of the regulations and governance of Formula 1 and that influence is not always driven by what is best overall for the sport.

"Yes, teams should be consulted, and their informed perspectives considered, particularly on long-term strategic issues. But at times it has seemed the sport is governed by certain teams.

"Let us not forget that we, the teams, have contributed to the inconsistencies in the policing of the regulations as much as anyone. It is the teams who applied the pressure to avoid finishing races under a Safety Car at all costs.

"It is the teams who voted for many of the regulations they have complained about. It is the teams who have been using the broadcasting of radio messages to the race director to try to influence penalties and race outcomes, to the point where an over-excited team principal plays to the gallery and pressurises race officials.

"This has not been edifying for F1. At times it's felt like a pantomime audition rather than the pinnacle of a global sport."

[DLSTR]

Cool Graphic!! - F1 Circuits 2022.

[DLSTR]

The a--holes of RedBull putting out all this propaganda about Mercedes wing. There was nothing of course. SO the loudest b-tchy team were the one's that had to alter wing design last year.

Funk them and their so called WDC title. If you complain this loudly and falsely and nothing is found you should be penalized. You employ media/social media so loudly etc thats bringing the sport into a large negative light and you have no proof.


https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fi...clear/7384171/

FIA plans to further tweak rear flexi-wing tests despite all-clear
By: Jonathan Noble
Co-author: Giorgio Piola
Jan 18, 2022, 4:17 AM
The FIA says it uncovered no 'monkey business' with its increased rear wing flexibility tests in Formula 1 last year, but it wants to further improve its checks for 2022.


The closing stages of the F1 campaign were marred by accusations from Red Bull that its title rival Mercedes was using flexi-wings to increase its straightline speed.

The suspicion was that Mercedes had found a clever way for its main plane to flex down at high speed to help reduce drag.

Red Bull even went as far as suggesting that marks seen on the Mercedes endplate were evidence of the wing moving, even though its rival was always adamant the marks were a red-herring.

In response to Red Bull's concerns about the situation, the FIA launched a fact-finding mission from the Qatar Grand Prix to better investigate the behaviour and characteristics of the rear wings of all the teams.

While the new tests had no regulatory value, so were not to check on the legality of cars, it was hoped that they would provide some answers about whether or not the regulations needed to be tightened up for the future.

Speaking about what the FIA found in those examinations, F1's head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis explained that nothing out of the ordinary was uncovered.

However, he suggested that the governing body would be looking at ways to improve the manner in which wings can be checked going forward to help ensure teams were not finding clever ways to make wings flex.

[JARblue]

Sub'd

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

In the mean time, brace yourself for a sh!t-ton of articles just like this one, which can know nothing but have one or two minor points to them, caked in speculation.

Just read one yesterday saying that Lewis Hamilton is retired in the headline. Then the article acknowledged he hasn't even addressed the public since after the last race. And then backtracked further saying some sources say he will and some sources say the won't. WTF lol

Originally Posted by DLSTR

Funk them and their so called WDC title. If you complain this loudly and falsely and nothing is found you should be penalized. You employ media/social media so loudly etc thats bringing the sport into a large negative light and you have no proof.

That's not entirely RB's fault. If their bitching and moaning is going to get a response from the top that's going to be enough incentive for them to keep doing it. Not to say they are right to do so. But I blame the people in charge who are listening slightly more than I blame RB.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by JARblue

Sub'd



Just read one yesterday saying that Lewis Hamilton is retired in the headline. Then the article acknowledged he hasn't even addressed the public since after the last race. And then backtracked further saying some sources say he will and some sources say the won't. WTF lol



That's not entirely RB's fault. If their bitching and moaning is going to get a response from the top that's going to be enough incentive for them to keep doing it. Not to say they are right to do so. But I blame the people in charge who are listening slightly more than I blame RB.

Mercedes were passing all the tests. RedBull just hated being slower and had no answer - technically. Its typical for them to be so loud and useless. Mercedes in contrast handled it much more quietly and RedBull had to change their wing. No needless drama but Horner is an ash-hole who left his pregnant wife for a has been celebrity singer - Do the maths LOL

[JARblue]

I guess my point was we have come to expect that kind of behavior from RB and it's reinforced because they get the attention they seek. Their whimsical whining needs to be dismissed and shut down instead.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by JARblue

I guess my point was we have come to expect that kind of behavior from RB and it's reinforced because they get the attention they seek. Their whimsical whining needs to be dismissed and shut down instead.

RedBull are openly brash but now they are a major maker/motor builder. THey are no longer the young cool team. They are just another team and its leadership is the problem. Until that changes we suffer Horner and Marko idiocy.

Toto is not perfect but a much more savvy operator.

[abm89]

Woo! new thread!

I guess to lightly touch on some of the things already said:

Most of us long-time fans are used to RB complaining and just ignore it. I think it's causing more of a stir now thanks to the increased fan-base and recent influx of interest due to DTS. It's actually genius by RB to take advantage of that and try to use their new following of fans to paint Mercedes as some type of "cheater". I agree with Jar's point that it's the governing body who is to blame for entertaining these ******** tests, but I also agree with DLSTR that Horner and Marko suck.

On Lewis retiring, only he knows what he will do. He has literally said nothing and everyone is throwing a fit. It's quite hilarious. IMO, he's doing the right thing. Anything he says will just fuel idiocy.