It’s no surprise that Formula 1 teams have picked up ideas from the past, as it’s impossible to forget some of the solutions that worked in previous seasons and could be relevant to the new rules.
Below, we take a look at the key areas of the 2022 Formula 1 season cars that have used old ideas with a more modern twist.
At the front of the car, two trends are emerging, as the height of the nose tip and its overall design are much more restricted this year than in the past.
As a consequence of these stricter regulations, the teams have chosen two very different paths. The first is the elevation of the central part of the wing, while the second option is to drop it and make a higher outer section.
Both designs have their pros and cons as they redirect airflow under the nose and then down to the rest of the aero surfaces.
We have seen teams venture down similar paths in the past, in search of performance and based on what suited the current regulations at the time.
If we want to find solutions from yesteryear that are relevant to the current season, we must use the Tyrrell 019 , the original high-nose solution, as a starting point.
Despite not being 100% comparable to what we will see this season, it was the one that set the tone that was followed for decades, as it made everyone realize the importance of raising the nose in order to achieve greater flow. of air below the center line of the car.
Within the history of Formula 1, there are few cars that can be considered more elegant than the Jordan 191 , a single-seater that also had a slight elevation of the tip of its nose, as well as a front wing that rose on its back. central part to join it.
Interestingly, while there is a decades-long separation between the two design eras, there is a clear family lineage going all the way back to the Jordan.
One example is Aston Martin , who have chosen to raise the nose tip, as well as the center portion of the front wing, on the AMR22 , as the car’s designers wanted to drive airflow towards the underside of the car, given the potential it could generate.
Meanwhile, over the years, we’ve also seen teams look for a solution at the other end of the spectrum, with a lower center section than the outer section of the front wing.
It is a design largely dictated by current regulations, but it is clear that each team looked for a different solution to suit their own design parameters.
Another area where we’re seeing old design concepts return to the cars is the sidepod area. This season, during the presentations and the pre-season tests, we have seen that it is an area of the car that has presented a great variety in the different teams. Each one clearly thinks that their interpretation is the best to obtain the results they seek.
The design of this area of the car is very detailed, since it depends on many elements of the car. Sidepods not only need to take into account the layout of radiators, intercoolers, oil coolers and electronics, they also need to consider the aerodynamic consequences their external surfaces will have.
The first real contender to emerge was the Aston Martin AMR22 , which brought two different designs from the past into the present.
The high sidepod, set high above the flat bottom, is reminiscent of the ‘double floor’ concept, which Toro Rosso tested in 2011 and which surely found its inspiration in the Ferrari F92A from the 1992 season.
Inside the Red Bull garage there are also two cars with a very distinctive ramp at the rear, which slopes down towards the ground to eliminate airflow in the rear region.
This also resembles other designs from the recent past, as Red Bull have sported this ramp on their bodywork in 2013, as well as Sauber on their C31 from the 2012 season.
If we are looking for a more modern vision, the Racing Point RP20 received a package of improvements in Mugello, among which was included a new side bodywork.
The new RP20 sidepods featured a sloped, albeit shorter, rear surface that met the ground surface much earlier.
The 2009 season came with simpler technical regulations than previous seasons, which made the engineers leave aside the cooling gills that they had developed in the previous era, solutions that were seen above all in cars like the Renault R25 and the Sauber F1.06 which were no longer viable.
However, the 2022 regulations open the door for them again and offer teams more freedom in development. In addition, they now have different options when it comes to trying to balance their cooling needs with the aerodynamic performance of the car.
The ground is one of the areas that will be the focus of attention in the coming years, with teams looking for the best way to exploit the new regulations and improve performance.
Despite the large number of changes to the regulations, the W13 appeared on the track with a solution similar to one we have seen before, an element that was already in the Mercedes and Aston Martin single-seaters in 2021.
The edge of the floor features a wavy design that was slightly different on the W12, as the floor sloped slightly upwards at its edge with the waves. The kit also included a slat that helped keep airflow out.
This was upgraded within a large upgrade package that was fitted to the British Grand Prix , with the team removing all but the one further forward from the edge of the raised floor.
However, the team still believes that this detail offers a performance benefit, albeit in a slightly different way.
