The new era of Formula 1 will begin this season with a new technical regulation that will see the return of ground-effect cars whose goal is to make races more closely fought.
The introduction of these new Formula 1 cars has been delayed for a year due to the COVID-1 pandemic, but the long wait for the technical revolution will end this season.
The changes will have to be up to par. After an exciting 2021 season, arguably the best F1 season in years, the new era will have to meet high standards. However, with the aerodynamic package that will be introduced, designed to offer close duels and which will allow drivers to follow in the wake of those ahead and overtake, a new golden age of grand prix could begin if the plans are met.
Formula 1 has also reduced the budget cap from $ 145 million in 2021 to $ 140 million by 2022 in order to make the series more economically sustainable and have a fairer playing field between the teams.
The first opportunity to observe the new cars will be the pre-season testing sessions, when all teams will show the 2022 cars for the first time in the key preparation period before the start of the season scheduled in Bahrain on 18-20 March.
Bahrain F1 pre-season testing: 10-12 March 2022
Formula 1 has split the two pre-season test sessions between the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Bahrain Interational Circuit, and both tracks will host three days of testing for a total of six overall pre-season testing days before the start of the season.
F1 divided the venues for logistical and technical reasons at the request of the teams. Barcelona, the traditional venue for pre-season testing before the COVID-19 pandemic, is considered the ideal location for testing given its variety of low, medium and high speed corners as well as the long main straight, while its central location in Europe makes it easily accessible in a short time from all F1 team bases. Teams often fly new parts on short notice for testing and can minimize travel time compared to other locations outside of Europe.
Conditions are also usually suitable and representative, with dry and sunny weather despite being colder than the temperatures F1 will encounter for most of the season.
For 2022, F1 will also head to the Bahrain International Circuit for the second test session, rather than staying in Barcelona, again due to logistical and technical advantages. The Bahrain track, in addition to providing a representative comparison of the Barcelona tests, allowing the teams to verify the first results, will also host the opening race of the season – which means that the teams will not need to pack up and go to the next one in a short amount of time.
What happens during the tests?
As the name indicates, F1 teams are able to test their cars on allowed days of action on the track and try as many set-ups, parts and schedules as they want. Pirelli supplies an equal number of tire compounds to each team, usually enough to allow all teams to complete as many tests as they wish, while the number of laps is theoretically unlimited during the hours the track is open.
If checks by the FIA are not strictly enforced, as the tests are not held in grand prix conditions, all normal safety requirements must be met in order for the cars to race on the track as established by the FIA regulations. F1 teams could, in theory, run a car that is safe but not legal. However, there would be minimal benefit to this, as teams would not be able to use the car in the same specification or set-up as a race weekend.
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Outside of this, F1 teams are allowed to schedule their own tests, including track runs, tire use, fuel loads and which of its drivers will test the car – including reserve drivers who they will not race next season. Teams are only able to take to the track with one car, however, which means that all drivers will have to share the same car.
Can I watch the pre-season testing sessions?
Formula 1 will not broadcast the first Barcelona test session live on TV, but plans to broadcast the entire second test session live from Bahrain. The Barcelona test will be a closed-door event with F1 intending to broadcast a daily show from the circuit.
- Bahrain F1 test: 10-12 March
ScuderiaFans, as always, will follow both pre-season F1 tests in both Barcelona and Bahrain with a direct live text update.
Are the test times realistic?
As the cliché says, these are just tests so all lap times should be taken as approximate values rather than definitive about the power ratios in F1. This is because all teams prefer to hide their potential until the first qualifying sessions and races of the season in order to maintain an advantage. This is commonly known as sandbagging.
Test lap times are also burdened with a multitude of variables, including different fuel loads, different engine mappings, different tire compounds (some of which may not be allowed for use on the same track during the grand prix which will take place over the course of the season) and the durability of the tires, as well as varying climatic and weather conditions.
Likewise, some teams may decide to aim for times towards the end of a day, or at the end of the tests, to take the headlines by actually increasing performance over their rivals.
Are these the definitive cars for 2022?
For all teams the answer will be no. As for the chassis and aerodynamics, updates or changes will be made almost constantly during testing and in the opening rounds of the season as teams unlock more performance.
On the engine side, all power unit manufacturers will have to face a development freeze for 2022, and this means that the specification of each component of the power unit will remain the same when the respective choices are made in the first round. Manufacturers will be able to change specifications as often as they want during testing, as long as they follow the technical and safety regulations.
What happens if someone crashes during the tests?
A driver who has an accident during testing will experience the same situation as if it had happened in any other session, but the consequences could be much more serious depending on the extent of the accident.
Teams are likely to have fewer spare parts of the same specification during testing, as they are changed or updated frequently – which is likely to be a key challenge with new cars for 2022. Should a driver crash heavily and break a key element, the team will waste valuable testing time and will most likely have to totally overhaul its test schedule.
Pierre Gasly felt all the pressure of a major crash in 2019 preseason testing with Red Bull, when the high-speed crash damaged multiple new parts critical to the team’s development program. The incident also dented his confidence and would have led to a drop in performance and his relegation to Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso (now called AlphaTauri).
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